From correspondents in India, 10:31 AM IST

Shiv Sena's Anand Paranjpe took an early lead of 10,210 votes over Sanjeev Naik of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at the end of the first round of counting for the Thane Lok Sabha by-election Sunday.

Anand, son of Shiv Sena MP Prakash Paranjpe whose death in February caused the by-poll, had polled 38,965 votes as against Sanjeev Naik who got 28,780 in the first round of counting in which votes from the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominated Thane-Kalyan-Ambernath belt were counted.

In the second round covering the Ulhasnagar and Navi Mumbai-Murbad assembly segments, Naik was slightly ahead.

The final results are expected by early noon.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)