BJP’s Kamlesh Shah on Saturday won the Amarwara (ST) seat by a margin of over 3,200 votes after trailing in a number of rounds.
Shah defeated his nearest Congress rival Dheeran Shah Invati by a margin of 3,252 votes, a poll official said.
Shah got 83,036 votes, while Congress’ Invati polled 79,784 votes, the official said.
Devraman Bhalavi of the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) finished third by bagging 28,638 votes.
The assembly by-election became necessary after Shah, a three-time Congress MLA, crossed over to the BJP on March 29 this year.
The BJP then fielded him as its candidate from Amarwara in the bypoll.
The bye election to this Scheduled Tribes-reserved seat in Chhindwara district was prestigious for both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress as Chhindwara was considered a stronghold of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath until recently.
