Bypolls 2019 result: BJP loses grip over four assembly seats, 'dark horse' Congress fares well in Punjab, Gujarat

New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Counting for 51 assembly seats and 2 Lok Sabha seats across 17 states and one union territory were concluded on Thursday. The main contest was between BJP and Congress, where BJP performed well in the state of Uttar Pradesh where as many as 11 seats were up for grab. However, it faced a tough competition from Congress, who turned out to be the dark horse as it won three seats in Gujarat and Punjab. 

 

Here's how the states fared in the 2019 bypolls:

 

Uttar Pradesh: 

 

The BJP claimed eight out of 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including Gangoh, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt., Govindnagar, Manikpur, and Balha assembly constituencies, while the other three seats were won by Samajwadi Party and BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal). The election was seen as a litmus test for the Yogi Adityanath government which completed half of its tenure in office.

 

Gujarat

 

Elections in Gujarat was seen as a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Vijay Rupani where BJP had swept away all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 general elections. The BJP-ruled state lost three of its constituencies in Gujarat to Congress in the bypolls. Congress won Tharad, Radhanpur and Bayad seats while BJP gained victories in Kheralu, Lunawada and Amraiwadi.

 

Punjab

 

Congress won three: Phagwara, Mukerin and Jalabad out of four seats in the state while Shiromani Akali Dal gained victory in Dakha. The only close contest was in Mukerin where Congress' Indu Bala defeated BJP's Jangi Lal Mahajan by a margin of 3440 votes.

 

Kerala

 

The southern state of Kerala was important for Congress, where they won two seats in Ernakulum and Aroor but lost in Konni and Vattiyoorkavu to CPI(M). IUML's MC Kamaruddin won one seat in Manjeshwar against BJP's Raveesh Kuntar by 7923 votes.

 

Also Read: BJP retains Maharashtra, Fadnavis blunts Shiv Sena's muscle-flexing over CM post with '15 rebels' claim

 

Bihar

 

The election in Bihar was seen as a semifinal ahead of the 2020 assembly elections. The main contest in Bihar was between regional parties RJD and JD(U). RJD won two seats in Bihar including Simri Baktiarpur, a JDU Bastian, but it lost Nathnagar constituency as incumbent contender Rabiya Khatun lost by 5131 votes to Lakshmikant Mandal. Qamrul Hoda and Karnjeet Singh of AIMIM and Independent leader Karnjeet Singh won Kishanganj and Daraundha seats respectively. 

 

Assam and HP

 

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) won three assembly constituencies: Ratabari, Rangapara, and Sonari in the eastern state of Assam by a fair margin of votes over Congress. Rafiul Islam of AIUDF also managed to win one seat (Jania). The BJP also won both the assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Vishal Nehria defeated its nearest rival and Independent leader Rakesh Kumar by 6758 votes in Dharamsala while Reena Kashyap defeated Gangu Ram Musafir of Congress by 2808 votes in Pachhad (reserved for SC).

 

Others

 

In Sikkim, BJP won two seats as Sonam Tsh beat Nuk Tshering of SDF by 6150 votes in Martam-Rumtek while Yong Tshering won over nearest rival Delay Namgyal of SNPF by 1010 votes. Regional party SKM's Prem Singh Tamang defeated Moses Rai of SDF by 8953 votes in Poklok Kamrang constituency.

 

The main contest in other states was between regional parties and Congress. In Telangana's Huzurnagar, TRS candidate Saidi Reddy beat Nalamada of INC by over 43,000 votes. AIDMK won both Vikravandi and Nanguneri in Tamil Nadu over DMK and INC. 

 

In Rajasthan, Congress won Mandwa assembly constituency as Rita Choudhary defeated BJP's Sushila Sigra in a one-sided battle, she won by over 33,700 votes. Harendra Mirdha of Congress, on the other hand, lost by 4630 votes to Narayan Beniwal of RLK. 

 

Congress won the lone battle in Puducherry and Jhabua. BJD's Rita Sahu defeated Sanat Kumar of BJP by a huge margin of 99,990 votes in Odisha. In Meghalaya, UDF's Balajied Kupar defeated Independent leader Grace Mary by 6221 votes.

 

Also Read: Congress tries 2018 Karnataka coup in Haryana as Dushyant Chautala emerges kingmaker in cliffhanger

 

Arunachal's Khonsa that witnessed the highest per cent of polling on Monday was won by Chakat Aboh who defeated another Independent leader Azet Homtok by 1887 votes. 

 

Besides this, counting also took place in two Lok Sabha constituencies of Samastipur (Bihar) and Satara in Maharashtra. NCP's Srinivas Dadasaheb Patil won over Udyanraje of BJP by over 90,000 votes. While on Samastipur, LJP's Prince Raj won over Ashok Kumar of INC by over 1 lakh votes.