New Delhi: After routing the Opposition in the Assembly polls in five states, the BJP scored again by winning Assembly by-polls in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Assam.
The BJP won five of the 10 byelections, results for which were declared on Thursday. In Delhi, it got a shot in the arm ahead of the crucial Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls by winning the Rajouri Garden Assembly seat. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party ended up third, behind the Congress, and lost its security deposit.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had won 67 out of 70 Assembly berths in Delhi in 2015. For the Congress, that seemed in a downward spiral, there was some relief as the party won both Assembly berths in Karnataka — Nanjangud and Gundlupet — and one in Madhya Pradesh, Ater in Bhind district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP’s “impressive performance” in the byelections and than-ked people for their “unwavering faith in the politics of development and good governance”.
The Trinamul Congress kept the Kanthi Dakshin seat in West Bengal where the BJP finished second. The Jharkhand Mukto Morcha retained the Littipara (ST) Assem-bly seat in Jharkhand defeating ruling BJP.
Karnataka face-saver for Congress
BJP president Amit Shah said the win in the bypolls highlighted the people’s trust in the Narendra Modi government’s policies.
Bypolls were held in two seats each in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, and one each in West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Delhi. In Karn-ataka, the ruling Congress won in Nanj-angud and Gundlupet constituencies.
