Nuapada, Nov 14: Counting of votes of the Nuapada byelection conducted on November 11, is underway amid tough security on Friday.

By the end of the 2nd Round Counting, BJP face Jay Dholakia is reportedly marching ahead leading with at least 10,013 votes while he bagged as many as 3697 more votes in the 1st Round, than the nearest BJD competitor Snehangini Chhuria, said sources.

Counting of votes has begun at Nuapada National College under the supervision of the Odisha Electoral authorities and Nuapada district administration.

According to the schedule, counting of votes will be conducted in 26 rounds. As many as 14 desks have been set up to accommodate the counting process for the votes procured from 358 polling booths.

Security arrangements have also been tightened in and around the counting centre to tackle unforeseen incidents near the counting center.

According to sources, vote counting began from ballot counts following which the EVMs were unwrapped for counting.

Worth mentioning, polling for the Nuapada 71 Assembly Constituency in Odisha was conduced on November 11. As many as 14 candidates are in the fray aspiring the coveted seat.