BJP wins Pandhana seat in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal -- The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday won the Pandhana assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh defeating the Congress by a margin of over 11,900 votes.

BJP candidate Devendra Verma defeated Congress' Hiralal Silawat.

Verma led right from the start of the counting of votes at 8 a.m. at Subhash High School in Khandwa.

The by-election, held Monday, was necessitated due to the killing of BJP MLA Kishorilal Verma following a dispute with a petty contractor over payment. Both Verma and his wife were killed in broad daylight on the banks of Narmada river in Omkareshwar.

Bharatiya Jan Shakti candidate Vasudev Atut was also in the fray.