Jolt to BJP as Congress sweeps Rajasthan bypolls, TMC wins in West Bengal
Congress wrests Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats from BJP in Rajasthan, while TMC retains Uluberia parliamentary seat in West Bengal
New Delhi: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a major electoral setback in Rajasthan on Thursday after it lost all three byelections, for two Lok Sabha seats and one assembly seat, to arch-rival Congress.
The results are important because assembly elections in the state are due in December when the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government faces off against the Congress in a direct contest.
In the two Lok Sabha seats of Alwar and Ajmer, Congress’s Karan Singh Yadav and Raghu Sharma won, defeating their closest BJP rivals. In the 2014 general elections, the BJP had won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan.
In the assembly constituency of Mandalgarh, the victor was Congress’s Vivek Dhakad.
Raje had led BJP to a historic mandate in Rajasthan in December 2013, winning 163 out of the 200 assembly seats. That was the BJP’s best ever performance in the assembly polls.
“The results of the bypolls indicate that the BJP has a serious challenge in the state as people have opted for Congress. The Congress has a substantial organizational network in the state and the upcoming assembly elections will be a challenge for the BJP," said a senior BJP leader on the results, on condition of anonymity.
The results are a shot in the arm for Congress’s Rajasthan chief Sachin Pilot who took the job soon after the 2014 drubbing, marking a generational shift in the party.
Both Alwar and Ajmer are politically significant because prior to the 2014 general elections, Alwar was held by Jitendra Singh and Sachin Pilot was the member of Parliament (MP) from Ajmer. Both leaders are close aides of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
“Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan," Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
Thursday also saw verdicts come in for two byelection seats, one Lok Sabha and one assembly, in West Bengal. Incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) won both seats by substantial margins.
TMC’s Sultan Singh seized the Noapara assembly constituency from the Left-Congress alliance, winning by over 63,000 votes. This time, the Left and Congress fought the polls separately.
In the Uluberia parliamentary constituency, TMC’s Sajda Ahmed won by over 474,000 votes. In both, the BJP came a distant second.
In all recent elections held in the state, the TMC has come out on top followed by the BJP.
Arkamoy Dutta Majumdar from Kolkata contributed to this story.
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