Congress wins Big in Himachal, Rajasthan, BJP Bags Assam and MP While TMC Storms Bengal
Staff Reporter
IN the recently held By-polls, the BJP lost two out of three Lok Sabha seats and, in the Assemblies, BJP has lost at most places in direct contest with Congress. Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Maharashtra have witnessed it.
BJP President J P Nadda has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the policies of his government with the party’s victories in the Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls, but was mum on the electoral reverses in Himachal Pradesh.
In a statement here, Nadda said the BJP’s electoral victories in the bypolls “symbolised people’s faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the policies pursued by the BJP government”. The 380-word statement by the BJP chief lauded Chief Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nitish Kumar, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the respective state BJP presidents in Assam, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh for the bypoll wins.
However, the statement made no mention of the humiliating defeat the BJP suffered in Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
The BJP however has maintained its dominance in Assam and done well in Madhya Pradesh.
With results pouring in for by-elections on three Parliamentary and 30 assembly constituencies across the country, Congress is in upbeat mood attacking ruling BJP for failure at all level.
Saying “disdain for people’s pain is harmful” Congress made a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after the results.
“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,” said Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
He added: “Modi ji, Shed arrogance. Repeal the three ‘black laws’. Stop Petrol-Diesel-Gas loot. Disdain for people’s pain is harmful”.
The Congress won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and won all the three assembly bypolls of Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai in Himachal Pradesh. Congress candidate Nagraj Meena won the Dhariawad assembly seat in Rajasthan by a margin of 18,725 votes.
“The constant service of people by Srinivas Mane and the immeasurable hard work of Congress workers and leaders has proved that Karnataka yearns for ‘change’,” he said.
“The BJP’s exit is written on the wall,” Surjewala claimed.
The BJP also suffered a massive dent in West Bengal, where the ruling All India Trinamool Congress has swept all the four assembly seats – two of which were held by the BJP – with huge margins. The TMC has polled on an average about 75 per cent votes in Bengal while the BJP has crashed to 14-15 per cent, a far cry from the 38 per cent votes the BJP got in the assembly elections, as against 47 per cent votes for the TMC.
In Bihar, BJP-ally Janata Dal (United) has retained both seats going to the by-polls, The party comfortably won Kushehwar Asthan as well as Tarapur. Significantly, close on the heels of the open spat between the Congress and the RJD over the former wanting to contest Kusheshwar Asthan, which has been a traditional seat of the Congress that it has been losing for a few times, the Congress is getting just about 5000 votes in Kusheshwar Asthan and fewer votes in Tarapur after deciding to go to the polls alone.
In Assam, the BJP’s vote share is about 29 per cent – though it contested only three assembly seats out of five, leaving two for ally United People’s Party (Liberal). The Congress’ vote share without an alliance with the AIUDF is 16 per cent.
The Congress has swept all three assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh. The lone Lok Sabha seat of Mandi going to the polls in the state has gone the way of Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, wife of late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
With elections in Himachal Pradesh slated next year, the results spell good news for the Congress, and suggest that the reputation of the late Virbhadra Singh outlives him. Even in the last assembly elections, when the BJP had won the state, Congress could not be decimated. Virbhadra Singh had retained his seat, while the BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal had lost to the Congress.
In Rajasthan, the Congress has swept both assembly seats of Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad with very comfortable margins, something that is a shot in the arm for the party.
In the Ellenabad assembly in Haryana, Abhay Singh Chautala of INLD has defeated Gobind Kanda of the BJP by 6739 votes. In Karnataka, the BJP and Congress have won a seat each, with the BJP winning Sindgi by 31,185 votes and the Congress winning Hangal — which, ironically, comes under the home district of Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai — by 7,373 votes. “I have taken the setback very seriously and will take corrective action,” Bommai, who replaced BS Yeddyurappa months back, said.
In Telangana, the BJP is on the way to win the Huzurabad seat, defeating the Telangana Rashtra Samiti with a comfortable margin.
The YSR Congress has performed exceptionally well in Badvel, the only Andhra Pradesh assembly seat that went to the by-polls, with the BJP a distant second.
If one looks at the Lok Sabha elections due in 2024, the Congress needs a face to challenge Narendra Modi and opposition unity. We don’t see evidence of any of these requirements being fulfilled yet.