By Muslim Mirror Desk,
New Delhi: In an embarrassing turn of events for BJP ahead of next year’s general elections, BJP won just one Assembly seat out of 11 and one Lok Sabha seat out of the four for which bye elections were held on Monday. The bye-elections were held in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Uttarakhand.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana, where all eyes were on how opposition unity would fare, RLD’s Tabassum Hasan won the seat with a huge margin.
Whilst BJP, won just one seat in Uttarakhand, Congress bagged three (in Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Punjab’s Shahkot) whereas other regional parties secured six seats.
The JMM got two in Jharkhand, while CPI(M), SP, RJD and Trinamool one each in Kerala, UP, Bihar and West Bengal, respectively.
In Punjab’s Shahkot which is considered to be the SAD’s stronghold, Congress candidate Hardev Singh Ladi trounced the SAD nominee Naib Singh Kohar with a margin exceeding 38,000 votes. With the victory, the Congress’ strength in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha will reach 78, a two-third majority in the House.
Likewise in Meghalaya, Congress candidate Miani D. Shira won the bye-election from Ampati Assembly seat, vacated by her father Mukul Sangma early this year.
In Bihar, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) suffered a big setback as the RJD on Jokihat assembly seat from the rival JD(U) by a margin of 41,000 votes. RJD candidate Shahnawaz Alam defeated Murshid Alam of the JD (U).
Kerala’s ruling CPI (M)-led LDF also consolidated its position after its candidate Saji Cheriyan won the Chengannur Assembly by-poll.