The Bharatiya Janata Party, riding high on unprecedented win in the Assembly polls and the Modi wave, won five seats in the recently-held bypolls across 10 Assembly constituencies in eight states — Delhi, Karnataka, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. 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.
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 MP, Ater in Bhind district. The Trinamul kept the Kanthi Dakshin seat in West Bengal where the BJP finished second. The JMM retained the Littipara (ST) Assembly seat in Jharkhand defeating ruling BJP. The BJP also won in MP, HP, Assam and Rajasthan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the “impressive performance” and thanked people for their “unwavering faith in the politics of good governance”.
