The INDIA bloc secured 10 out of 13 seats as bypoll votes were counted in seven states on Saturday. The BJP-led ruling coalition won two seats while an Independent candidate won the Rapauli seat in Bihar.
“We bow before the public for the positive result of the assembly by-election. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to them for wherever they voted for the Congress Party candidates. We salute all Congress workers for their hard work and efforts in adverse circumstances. This victory shows that the people have now completely rejected the arrogance, misgovernance and negative politics of the BJP. This is also a strong evidence of the falling political credibility of Modi and Shah,” the senior politician tweeted in Hindi.
The Congress won two seats each in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand while AAP candidate Mohinder Bhagat secured the lone Punjab seat in the fray. Meanwhile the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress swept the West Bengal bypolls.
Elections were held on Wednesday for four seats in West Bengal, three in Himachal Pradesh, two in Uttarakhand, and one each in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu.
The Conrgess had seen its numbers dip sharply in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly after six of its members joined the BJP in March. The party has now regained its original strength of 40 MLAs after winning four bypoll seats — including two seats that went to polls alongside the Lok Sabha elections in June.
“These by-elections which were held on 13 seats are very important. For the second time in one and a half months, the people of the country gave a strong message to the BJP. The message was very clear in the Lok Sabha elections… In Uttarakhand, we won both our seats, Badrinath and Manglaur. In Himachal Pradesh, Congress won two out of three seats…And if you assess all 13 seats in total, BJP got only two,” reminded fellow party leader Pawan Khera.
(With inputs from agencies)
