Bye-poll meltdown: Results embarrass BJP as it faces reverses across India

The BJP faced an embarrassing rout registering a solitary win as Assembly bye-poll results for 11 seats stretched across 10 states were declared on Thursday. While the Congress bagged 5 seats, the JMM 2, the RJD, CPI (M) and the Samajwadi Party won one each.

The bypoll/election in Assembly constituencies of Tharali (Uttarakhand), Shahkot (Punjab), Silli and Gomia (Jharkhand), Maheshtala (West Bengal), Ampati (Meghalaya), Jokihat (Bihar), Noorpur (Uttar Pradesh), Chengannur (Kerala), Palus-Kadegaon (Maharashtra) and Rajarajeshwari Nagar (Karnataka) were held on 28 May.

Palus-Kadegaon

Congress retained the seat when its nominee Vishwajeet P Kadam was elected unopposed following the pull out of rival candidates. The death of Vishwajeet’s father Patangrao Kadam had necessitated the by-poll. Shiv Sena which governs the state in alliance with the BJP, had given "active support" to the Congress candidate as a token of respect to his late father. Subsequently eight other candidates too pulled out, enabling Kadam win unopposed.

Rajarajeshwari Nagar

The Congress enhanced its strength in the Karnataka Assembly to 79 after its candidate Muniratna retained the Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly seat. He defeated his nearest rival TM Gowda of the BJP by over 25,000 votes.

The election to the constituency was deferred to 28 May following seizure of several thousand of fake voter cards stocked in an apartment, just days ahead of the Assembly elections on 12 May. Muniratna was named an accused in the case.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, congratulated the Congress for the win said it will further boost the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in the state.

Shahkot

Punjab’s ruling Congress registered an emphatic victory to wrest Shahkot Assembly seat from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a BJP ally.

Congress’ Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia polled over 82,000 votes to trounce his nearest rival SAD’s Naib Singh Kohar by over 38,000 votes.

Aam Aadmi Party’s Rattan Singh had to forfeit his security deposit.

A stronghold of the SAD, Shahkot fell vacant following the death of SAD legislator and Kohar’s father Ajit Singh Kohar in February.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh hailed the victory of the seat which the SAD had retained for last 20 years. He said the voters favoured the policies of the Congress and rejected those of the Akali Dal.

Tharali

BJP’s only win in the Assembly by poll came in the Tharali seat in the hill state where its candidate Munni Devi Shah, defeated her nearest rival Jeetram of the Congress by over 1500 votes.

With this win BJP tally in the state Assembly went back to 57.

Munni Devi Shah is the widow of BJP’s Maganlal Shah whose death necessitated the by-poll.

Jokihat

Giving a jolt to the ruling JD(U)-BJP in Bihar, the RJD led by Tejaswi Yadav wrested Jokihat assembly seat from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party.

RJD’s Shahnawaz Alam registered an emphatic win defeating Murshid Alam of the JD (U) by more than 40,000 votes.

Jokihat seat in the Muslim dominated Araria district was won by JD(U) during the 2015 state elections. By-election to the seat was necessitated following the resignation of legislator Sarfaraz Alam who quit JD (U) and joined RJD. Now an MP from Araria, Alam the brother of Shahnawaz had quit JD U after Nitish Kumar dumped the grand alliance and go back to the NDA.

In his reaction Tejaswi Yadav said victory was in fact people avenging Nitish Kumar’s “U turn”.

"The number of votes JDU got, is less than our victory margin,” said Yadav.

Meanwhile, senior JDU leader KC Tyagi blamed the continuous rising fuel prices for the defeat.

“There is outrage across the country due to increase in price of petrol & diesel. Constant rise in the price of fuel is also a reason for such poll results. Therefore, hike should be immediately rolled back,” ANI quoted Tyagi as saying.

Chengannur

The Congress suffered a defeat in Kerala where the ruling CPI (M) retained the Chengannur seat with its candidate Saji Cherian registering a thumping victory. Cherian defeated D Vijayakumar of the Congress by over 20,000 votes.

BJP’s P S Sreedharan was a distant third.

By-election to the seat was necessitated following the death of CPI(M) MLA KK Ramchandran Nair.

CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, said the victory was a “a reflection of the pro-people policies of our government”.

“To counter the 'extreme Hindutva' of the RSS, Congress adopted a 'soft Hindutva' approach whereas our stand was firmly on secularism," he said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the victory was people’s endorsement of the policies of the Left Democratic Front government.

Noorpur

The Samajwadi Party (SP) wrested Uttar Pradesh's Noorpur Assembly seat from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

SP's Naeem-ul-Hasan defeated Avni Singh of the BJP by over 5,000n votes.

The by-poll was necessitated on account of the death of then sitting BJP legislator Lokendra Singh in a road accident in February.

While the BJP fielded Singh’s widow Avni with the hope of garnering sympathy of the voters, the gambit failed to take off against the opposition might which closed ranks in favour of the SP candidate.

The loss is also perceived as another blow to BJP’s Hindutva poster boy and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath under whom the party has now lost three Lok Sabha seats and one Assembly seat.

Maheshtala

West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress predictably retained the Maheshtala Assembly seat but the surprise came in form of BJP displacing the CPI (M) to take the second spot.

Trinamool’s Dulal Das drubbed his nearest rival BJP’s Sujit Kumar Ghosh byover 60,000 votes.

Incidentally CPI-M nominee Pravat Chowdhury who came third was backed by the Congress.

The by election was caused by the death of Trinamool’s legislator Kasturi Das. He had won the seat in the 2016 Assembly polls defeating CPI (M)'s Shamik Lahiri.

Silli/Gomia

The Opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) retained both Silli and Gomia Assembly seats defeating All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) candidates.

In Silli, JMM’s Seema Mahto defeated AJSU nominee and former deputy chief minister Sudesh Mahto, in Gomia, JMM’s candidate Babita Devi defeated AJSU nominee Lambodar Mahto.

The bye-polls were necessitated following the conviction of the JMM MLAs Yogendra Mahto and Amit Mahto in Gomia and Silli respectively.

Ampati

The Congress retained Ampati in Meghalaya with former chief minister Mukul Sangma’s daughter Miani D Shira emerging as the winner.

With the victory Congress has now emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats in the 60 member Assembly.

So far, the National People's Party or NPP-led alliance led by chief Minister Conrad Sangma, and the Congress, had 20 seats each.

The bye-polls were necessitated after Mukul Sangma, who won both from Ampati and Songsak, vacated the seat.