Electoral success continued to evade BJP in the face of an united opposition in Uttar Pradesh bypolls as the saffron party was trounced by RLD in Kairana Lok Sabha seat, while Samajwadi Party gave it the blues in Noorpur assembly constituency. RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan, who was backed by SP and Congress and tacitly supported by BSP, defeated BJP’s Mriganka Singh by over 50,000 votes. Singh, the daughter of late BJP leader Hukum Singh, whose death in February necessitated the bye-election, conceded defeat and said the alliance had emerged strong. “Many voters did vote for BJP but with a lead of some thousand votes, the alliance has won. I would like to congratulate the candidate. The alliance has emerged strong and now we have to prepare better for future,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, in Mahatashtra, BJP retained the Palghar Lok Sabha seat while NCP is leading in Bhandara-Gondiya constituency. BJP’s Rajendra Gavit defeated his nearest rival, Shriniwas Wanga of Shiv Sena, the son of sitting MP Chintaman Vanga, whose death in January had necessitated the bypoll, by over 29,000 votes. However, Shiv Sena claimed there was discrepancy in the counting of votes in a few rounds in Palghar and demanded recounting. Sena has shot off a letter to the election officials. In Bhandara-Gondiya seat, which the BJP had won in the 2014 elections, the NCP’s Madhukar Kukade has established a lead of 16,112 votes over the BJP’s Hemant Patle.

Electoral success continued to evade BJP in the face of an united opposition in Uttar Pradesh bypolls as the saffron party was trounced by RLD in Kairana Lok Sabha seat, while Samajwadi Party gave it the blues in Noorpur assembly constituency. RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan, who was backed by SP and Congress and tacitly supported by BSP, defeated BJP’s Mriganka Singh by over 50,000 votes. Singh, the daughter of late BJP leader Hukum Singh, whose death in February necessitated the bye-election, conceded defeat and said the alliance had emerged strong. “Many voters did vote for BJP but with a lead of some thousand votes, the alliance has won. I would like to congratulate the candidate. The alliance has emerged strong and now we have to prepare better for future,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, in Mahatashtra, BJP retained the Palghar Lok Sabha seat while NCP is leading in Bhandara-Gondiya constituency. BJP’s Rajendra Gavit defeated his nearest rival, Shriniwas Wanga of Shiv Sena, the son of sitting MP Chintaman Vanga, whose death in January had necessitated the bypoll, by over 29,000 votes. However, Shiv Sena claimed there was discrepancy in the counting of votes in a few rounds in Palghar and demanded recounting. Sena has shot off a letter to the election officials. In Bhandara-Gondiya seat, which the BJP had won in the 2014 elections, the NCP’s Madhukar Kukade has established a lead of 16,112 votes over the BJP’s Hemant Patle.