Bypoll results: PM thanks people for ”continued faith”

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today thanked people for expressing “continued faith” in BJP and its “unwavering focus on development and good governance” after the party scored victories in bypolls in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides doing well in West Bengal and Tripura.

“I thank people for the continued faith in BJP & in the BJP’s unwavering focus on development and good governance,” Modi tweeted after the results of bypolls to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats came in.

“I congratulate all BJP Karyakartas & leaders for the impressive victories in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP won Shahdol Lok Sabha seat and bagged the Nepanagar Assembly seat, where it increased its winning margin to 42,198 votes as against 22,178 previously.

BJP also won the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat in Assam, vacated by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, by a margin of 1,90,219 votes.

In Arunachal Pradesh, BJP’s North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) candidate Dasanglu Pul won Hayuliang assembly by-poll. Pul is the youngest of the three wives of former Chief Minister Kalikho Pul. The bypoll was necessitated by his suicide.

“I appreciate @BJP4Bengal for the spirited performance.

BJP is fully committed to diligently serving the wonderful people of West Bengal,” Modi said in another tweet.

In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress swept Tamluk and Coochbehar Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal by a whopping margin of over 4.9 lakh votes, almost doubling the gap from 2014 polls.

The ruling party of the state also won the Monteswar assembly seat with candidates of CPI(M), Congress and BJP losing their deposits.

“Congrats to Tripura BJP Karyakartas for an impressive performance in the bypolls. Good to see BJP expanding its base in the Northeast,” the Prime Minister added.

BJP vote share above 53 per cent in Assam

BJP, which emerged victorious in the by-poll in Assam today, garnered a vote share of 54.88 per cent in Lakhimpur (ST) parliamentary constituency and 53.8 per cent in Baithalanso assembly seat.

As per the party wise votes share in Lakhimpur, runners-up Congress got 35.96 per cent of the total 10,05,227 votes polled.

CPI(M) polled 4.24 per cent, SUCI (Communist) 1.23 per cent, Independent 2.05 per cent, while 1.64 per cent votes were cast for NOTA.

In Baithalangso Assembly seat, Congress bagged 41.4 per cent of the total 1,34,195 votes polled, Independents 2.7 per cent and NOTA 2.2 per cent votes, according to the EC.

BJP candidates Pradan Barua and Mansing Rongpi won Lakhimpur parliamentary and Baithalangso assembly seats respectively defeating their nearest Congress rivals.

The ruling BJP in the state retained Lakhimpur that was held by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal till his election as an MLA from Majuli Assembly constituency in April this year.

Mansing Rongpi retained Baithalangso as a BJP nominee this time after he resigned as a Congress MLA in July last to join the saffron party necessitating the by-poll.

In Lakhimpur Pradan Barua defeated his nearest Congress rival Hema Prasanga Pegu by 190219 votes polling 5,51,663 ballots.

In Baithalangso assembly constituency BJP’s Mansing Rongpi defeated his nearest Congress rival Ruponsing Ronghang by a margin of 16,600 votes.

Winner Rongpi garnered 72160 votes, while Ronghang polled 55560 votes, said the election returning officer.

Bye-election to Lakhimpur parliamentary seat was necessitated as Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal vacated it following his election to the state assembly in May last from Majuli(ST) constituency which too falls under this Lok Sabha seat.

Bypolls: Ruling parties hold sway; BJP,TMC share honours in Lok Sabha

BJP and Trinamool Congress shared the honours by winning two Lok Sabha seats each, claiming it was a vindication of their stand on demonetisation, as ruling parties in six states and Puducherry held sway in byelections, retaining most of the 10 Assembly seats up for grabs.

In the Assembly bypolls held on November 19, results of which were declared today, BJP and AIADMK won three seats each, CPI(M) got two while Congress and Trinamool bagged one each.

BJP won the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat in Assam, vacated by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, by a margin of 1,90,219 votes and Shahdol Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, both ruled by the party.

Trinamool Congress swept Tamluk and Coochbehar Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal by a whopping margin of over 4.9 lakh votes, almost doubling the gap from 2014 polls.

Trinamool also won the Monteswar assembly seat with candidates of CPI(M), Congress and BJP losing their deposits.

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP’s victory margin in Shahdol Lok Sabha came down to 60,000 from 2,41,301 in the 2014 general elections. It bagged the Nepanagar Assembly seat, where it increased its winning margin to 42,198 votes as against 22,178.

In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, whose supremo Jayalalithaa is hospitalised for two months, retained Thanjavur and Thirupparankundram Assembly seats and wrested Aravakkurichi seat from DMK by margins ranging from 20,000 votes to 42,000.

The ruling CPI(M) in Tripura wrested Barjala (SC) seat from Congress and retained Khowai.

Senior Congress leader and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy won the bypoll to Nellithope Assembly seat defeating AIADMK’s Om Sakthi Segar by a margin of 11,144 votes.

North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) candidate Dasanglu Pul of BJP won Hayuliang assembly by-poll in Arunachal Pradesh defeating her lone rival Yompi Kri, an independent candidate, by 942 votes.

Pul is the youngest of the three wives of former chief minister Kalikho Pul. The bypoll was necessitated by his suicide.

Union Minister Ananth Kumar and Sonowal said the BJP’s win in the bypolls showed that people have endorsed the government’s decision against black money and corruption.

“BJP’s victory in by-polls is a clear indication that people are fully supporting the decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. It is people’s mandate for the Prime Minister’s decision of demonetisation,” Sonowal told reporters.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, however, termed the byelection result as a mandate against the Centre’s decision of demonetisation.

“The by-election result is a befitting reply against the anti-people demonetisation by the Centre. It’s a people’s revolt, rather a mass revolt against the Centre. BJP should take lessons from this mandate,” she told newsmen in Kolkata before leaving for New Delhi to join the protest by the Opposition. PTI

In West Bengal #Bypolls of 2 LS & 1 VS; the BJP has polled 21% which is upswing of +10%. The CPM+ managed 14%, downswing of – 21% . #Stunner

— Yashwant Deshmukh (@YRDeshmukh) November 22, 2016

Mamata nervous over BJP growth in Bengal: Siddharth Nath Singh

Kolkata: Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee over her opposition to demonetisation, BJP national Secretary Siddharth Nath Singh today said the West Bengal Chief Minister’s protest was driven by her “nervousness” over BJP’s growth rate in Bengal.

“Though we have lost in the Lok Sabha by-polls in Cooch Behar and Tamluk, if you look at the results you will see how BJP has increased its vote share by leaps and bounds in Bengal. If you compare the results with 2014 Lok Sabha polls, you will see the rise in BJP’s vote share. BJP has even come second in the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat,” Singh told PTI.

“The growth of BJP in Bengal has made Mamata Banerjee and her party nervous and that is why they are shouting so much against demonetisation. They should stop spreading canards on this issue as the results have vindicated our stand on demonetisation. It shows that people have supported our decision and that is why our vote share has increased,” Singh said.

The opposition CPI(M) and Congress, meanwhile, dubbed the bypolls as “farce” and alleged TMC had unleashed a reign of terror on the day of polls.

“The elections were a complete farce and that is why we had withdrawn our candidate from Monteswar assembly seat. The picture of terror being unleashed in two other Lok Sabha seats was clear on the day of polls,” state Congress President Adhir Chowdhury said.

“There was rampant rigging and malpractices on the day of polls,” a CPI(M) leader said.

Trinamool Congress today retained the two Lok Sabha seats and one Assembly seat in West Bengal where bypolls were held on November 19.

TMC candidate Dibyendu Adhikari won Tamluk Lok Sabha seat by defeating his nearest CPI(M) rival Mandira Panda by 4.97 lakh votes, up from 2.5 lakh votes in 2014. The CPI(M) candidate secured 2.82 lakh votes down from 4.7 lakhs in 2014 and BJP secured 1.9 lakh up from 86,000 votes in last parliamentary polls.

The party won the Cooch Behar LS seat with its candidate Parthapratim Roy drubbing his nearest rival BJP’s Hemchandra Burman by a margin of 4.9 lakh votes and pushed Forward Bloc, a LF partner to the third position.

The BJP had come up as the first runner-up securing 3.7 lakh votes up from 2.1 lakh votes in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Significantly the BJP had edged out Left Front partner Forward Bloc to a distant third position which had secured 86,000 votes down from 4.8 lakh votes in 2014 parliamentary polls.