CHANDIGARH: Ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today won the bypoll to Khadoor Sahib Assembly seat, with party candidate Ravinder Singh Brahmpura defeating his nearest rival Independent candidate Bhupinder Singh by a margin of 65,664 votes.
Main opposition parties Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had stayed out of the contest.
Mr Brahmpura defeated Bhupinder Singh, who had broken away from the Congress and entered the fray as an Independent.
Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said that at the end of 15 rounds of counting, Mr Brahmpura had polled 83,080 votes as against 17,416 in favour of Bhupinder Singh. "Ravinder Brahmpura has won by 65664 votes," he said.
Another Independent candidate Sumel Singh Sidhu could only poll 2,243 votes. He had parted ways with AAP to contest the poll.
The bypoll was held as the seat fell vacant after Congress legislator Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned in protest against sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib last year.
Congress had "boycotted" the polls, saying the issue on which Mr Sikki had resigned was still unresolved.