1,626 electorates opt for NOTA
Shimla: Congress has retained the Arki seat in Solan district by winning the by-election convincingly.
Sanjay Awasthy defeated his BJP rival Ratan Singh Pal by a margin of 2,821 votes.
Awasthi got 30,798 votes while Rattan Singh Pal got 27,579 votes.
1,626 electorates have opted for NOTA option, while an independent candidate Jeet Ram has received 547 votes.
Arki seat had fallen vacant after the demise of six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
