Result day: BJP sweeps 4 out of 5 assembly bypolls

The victory of BJP today is not just limited to Gujarat’s Khadia assembly by-poll. Read the story below. While BJP won four and BJP supported candidate won 1 seat, Congress is nowhere in picture:

BJP today made a clean sweep of all the four assembly seats where bypolls were held in party-ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand while Trinamool Congress, with tacit support of the saffron party, emerged triumphant in one seat in Manipur.

In Jharkhand, Chief Minister Arjun Munda (BJP) defeated Congress and Babulal Marandi”s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P) alliance candidate Dasrath Gagrai.

BJP wrested Kukshi seat in Madhya Pradesh from Congress for the first time after 21 years with its nominee Mukam Singh Kirade defeating rival Nisha Singhar by over 16,000 votes.

The party retained Gujarat”s Khadia seat, its bastion for the last 25 years, when its candidate Bhushan Bhatt emerged victorious defeating Congress” Jagat Shukla.

In Chhattisgarh, ruling BJP”s candidate Kumari Bai Sahu won Sanjari Balod seat beating her nearest rival Mohan Patel of Congress by nearly 9,500 votes.

The electoral battle in Manipur”s Konthoujam constituency saw Trinamool Congress candidate K Sarat prevailing over Congress candidate S Ranjan by 655 votes. The TC candidate had the tacit support of BJP and Manipur People”s Party, a regional outfit.

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is a constituent of Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and is likely to have an alliance with Congress in coming assembly polls in West Bengal.

Congress sought to downplay its defeat saying local factors decide results in such elections while BJP claimed it was a “victory of its fight against corruption”.

BJP is ruling in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh while in Manipur there is a Congress-led coalition government.