The Congress has got a shot in its arm by winning eight assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat across five states in the bypolls whose results were declared on Tuesday. The BJP on the other hand got a jolt in Himachal Pradesh (where it is ruling), Rajasthan and West Bengal where it failed to win any seat.
The saffron party, however, held its fort in Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
Polling for the 29 assembly and three Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 12 states and one union territory was held on October 30. Votes were counted on Tuesday.
The Congress retained Deglur assembly seat in Maharashtra.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat as well as all three Assembly seats. The Congress retained Fatehpur and Arki Assembly seats while it wrested Jubbal-Kotkhai seat from the BJP.
The Mandi Lok Sabha seat, which was earlier held by BJP, was won by former chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh. She defeated BJP’s Khushal Thakur, a Kargil war hero, by 7,490 votes. Notably, Mandi is the home district of CM Jairam Thakur.
The Shiv Sena won the Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Lok Sabha seat while the BJP won Khandwa LS seat in Madhya Pradesh.
In Rajasthan, the ruling Congress won the bypolls to the Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad Assembly seats. The BJP not only lost the elections, its candidates stood third and fourth in the Dhariawad and Vallabhnagar segments respectively.
With the win, the tally of the Congress in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly reached 108 against BJP’s 71 MLAs.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the party’s victory is that of its workers and asked them to keep fighting hate without fear.
“Every victory for the Congress is a victory of our party worker. Keep fighting hate. No fear!” Gandhi said on Twitter after the bypoll results came in.
In Karnataka, the Congress won Hangal assembly seat while the BJP bagged the Sindgi seat.
In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept all the four assembly seats with huge margins. TMC candidates not only polled more than one lakh votes each, but also the party’s vote share stood at a staggering 75% against BJP’s measly 14.48%. The BJP had won 77 of the 292 seats in Bengal assembly polls earlier this year.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP snatched two assembly seats from the Congress –Prithvipur and Jobat — but lost a sitting seat (Raigaon) to the opposition party.
The ruling BJP-led alliance also won all the five Assembly constituencies in Assam, with the BJP bagging three seats and its ally United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) emerging victorious in the two other.
In Bihar, NDA alliance partner Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar won both assembly seats of Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur.
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After the results were declared, the Congress asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shed arrogance, repeal the three farm laws and stop petrol and diesel “loot”.
Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told the prime minister that “disdain for people’s pain is harmful”.
“The BJP has lost two out of three Lok Sabha seats. In Assemblies, BJP has lost at most places in direct contest with Congress. Himachal Pradesh, Rajastan, Karnataka and Maharashtra have witnessed it,” he said on Twitter.
“Modi ji, Shed arrogance. Repeal the three ‘black laws’. Stop Petrol-Diesel-Gas loot. Disdain for people’s pain is harmful,” Surjewala said.
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RESULTS AT A GLANCE-
Assembly Seats won:
Congress: 08; BJP: 07; TMC: 04; JD-U: 02; INLD 01
Lok Sabha (Seats Won):
Congress: 01 (Mandi, Himachal Pradesh): BJP: 01 (Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh); Shiv Sena: 01 (Dadra & Nagar Haveli)
Source- NH, 02 Nov 2021.
