New Delhi: The bypoll results conducted in 12 seats - seven in Andhra Pradesh and one each in Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha - were a mixed bag for the national political parties.
While the Congress won in BJP strongholds of Gujarat and Karnataka, it drew a blank in Andhra Pradesh. The Congress-led UDF won the seat in Kerala, while the BJP managed to win in only one seat in Andhra Pradesh.
While the ruling parties AIADMK and BJD won the seats in Tamil Nadu and Odisha respectively, TRS gained the most with wins in four seats in Andhra Pradesh Assembly bypolls. One independent candidate, backed by the party, has also won in the state. However, out of the seven seats, in which bypolls were conducted, six were in the Telangana region, a TRS stronghold.
Karnataka:
In a major setback for the BJP and Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday, K Jayaprakash Hegde of the Congress beat V Sunil Kumar of the BJP by huge margin of over 40,000 votes in the bypoll of Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat.
Hegde secured 3,98,723 votes as against 3,52,999 by Sunil Kumar.
Sadananda Gowda gave up the seat earlier this year upon his elevation as Chief Minister, and the loss of the BJP candidate would strengthen his rival BS Yeddyurappa's position.
About 66 per cent of the 12.53 lakh electorate had exercised their franchise in the bypoll held on March 18.
The outcome of the bypoll is being viewed as the trend setter for the next year assembly elections in Karnataka.
Gujarat:
In a setback to the Narendra Modi government, Opposition Congress on Wednesday snatched Mansa Assembly seat from the ruling BJP by over 8000 votes. Congress candidate Babuji Thakore defeated BJP's DD Patel in the constituency, which has remained loyal to the BJP since 1995.
The bypoll to the Mansa Assembly constituency was significant for both the Congress and the BJP since this is the first major poll before the assembly polls in the state later this year.
The bypoll was necessitated following the death of former Speaker and BJP MLA Mangaldas Patel.
Andhra Pradesh:
The ruling Congress on Wednesday drew a blank in Andhra Pradesh bypolls as TRS candidates won four seats, while TRS backed independent, YSR Congress and the BJP won one seats each in the bypoll to seven assembly constituencies in the state.
The by-elections to seven assembly seats - Station Ghanpur, Kamareddy, Adilabad, Kollapur, Nagarkurnool, Kovur and Mehabubnagar - six of them in Telangana region, were held on Sunday.
The elections were caused by vacancies that arose due to the resignations of two legislators of the Congress and four rebels of the TDP.
The ruling Congress on Wednesday drew a blank in Andhra Pradesh bypolls as TRS candidates won four seats, while TRS backed independent, YSR Congress and the BJP won one seats each in the bypoll to seven assembly constituencies in the state.
The by-elections to seven assembly seats - Station Ghanpur, Kamareddy, Adilabad, Kollapur, Nagarkurnool, Kovur and Mehabubnagar - six of them in Telangana region, were held on Sunday.
The elections were caused by vacancies that arose due to the resignations of two legislators of the Congress and four rebels of the TDP.
Kerala:
In a boost to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the ruling Congress-led UDF in Kerala on Wednesday retained the Piravom assembly seat with its candidate Anoop Jacob winning by a margin of 12,070 votes.
While Anoop Jacob (Kerala Congress-Jacob), a constituent of the UDF, garnered 82,756 votes, LDF'S MJ Jacob got 70,686 votes. BJP's KR Rajagopal polled 3241 votes.
There were nine candidates in the fray in the March 17 bypoll, whose outcome on Wednesday has given a boost to Chandy, who is running the government with a wafer thin margin.
Both the UDF and the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) had launched a stiff fight in the constituency, represented by Anoop's father and former minister TM Jacob. His death necessitated the bypoll.
A record polling of 86.3 per cent was registered in the constituency this time.
The battle was crucial for both the fronts as UDF's strength had been reduced to 71 in the 140 member assembly with the death of T M Jacob, while LDF's strength had come down to 67 with the recent resignation of Neyyatinkara Selvaraj of CPI(M) from the assembly that led to his expulsion from the party later.
Tamil Nadu:
Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK on Wednesday retained the Sankarankoil (SC) Assembly constituency, with party nominee S Muthuselvi defeating DMK candidate Jawahar Suryakumar by a massive margin of 68,744 votes.
Muthuslevi polled 94,964 votes against Suryakumar's 26,220.
Vaiko-led MDMK's Sadan Thirumalai Kumar polled just 20,675 votes while DMDK's Muthukumar was pushed to the fourth spot with a meagre 12,144 votes.
DMK, MDMK, DMDK and nine other candidates who were in the fray lost their deposits in the keenly contested election.
Odisha:
Ranendra Pratap Swain of Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday won the Athagarh Assembly bypoll, defeating Congress candidate Suresh Mohapatra by over 47,000 votes.
Former sports minister Swain got 87,604 votes while Mohapatra trailed with 40,214. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stood a poor third with 2,452 votes.
The election was held March 18 after the Supreme Court cancelled the result of the 2009 election in December and ordered a fresh poll.
Swain moved the court seeking a re-poll on grounds that he was illegally barred from contesting in 2009.
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