DANTEWADA: The Congress candidate has gained a lead of 11,319 votes against her BJP rival in the Dantewada assembly bypoll on Friday as counting of votes is underway, officials said.
Karma had secured 49,907 votes, while Mandavi had got 38,588 votes after the 19th round of counting, the official said, adding that one more round was left.
The by-polls were held for Assembly constituencies of Dantewada, Badharghat and Hamirpur in Chhattisgarh, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh, respectively, on September 23.
Devki Karma is the wife of Congress leader Mahendra Karma who was assassinated by Naxalites on May 25, 2013, in an attack while he was returning from a 'Parivartan Rally' organised by his party in Sukma district.