Votes are being counted today for by-polls held in eight states
Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party today lost to the BJP in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, in by-polls that are being seen as a sneak preview ahead of the state election next year. The BJP and its allies have won seven out of 12 seats in eight states where by-polls were held.
Here are the latest developments:
The Samajwadi Party had won the Muzaffarnagar assembly seat in 2012, but has now lost it to the BJP.
The Muzaffarnagar parliamentary seat had gone to the BJP in the 2014 national election held months after the riots that left 60 dead, thousands displaced and reconfigured politics in the region. The Samajwadi government accused BJP leaders of polarizing voters with inflammatory speeches and rumours.
"Muzaffarnagar shows the trend. What Muzaffarnagar does today, Uttar Pradesh follows," exulted BJP parliamentarian Sanjeev Balyan, as the party celebrated despite a ban on victory marches in the area.
The Samajwadi Party also lost the Deoband seat to the Congress. The ruling party took early leads as the counting of votes began in these seats, which are among the state's most communally sensitive. The Samajwadi Party has only retained Faizabad.
By-polls were also held in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Appreciable effort by NDA. People across India reposed faith in politics of development, development and development."
In Telangana, the TRS of Chief Minister Chandrasekhara Rao has won Narayankhed, which has mostly voted Congress in elections.
In Karnataka, the BJP won two seats and the Congress took one.
The BJP has snatched Karnataka's Devadurga seat, where many had expected a backlash of caste politics swirling around the suicide of Hyderabad University research student Rohit Vemula.
In Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal won a walkover in Khadoor Sahib, which fell vacant after the Congress lawmaker quit in protest. The Congress and AAP didn't contest here.
Post a comment