INDIA Alliance Sweeps Assembly By polls, Blow to BJP

INDIA Alliance Sweeps Assembly Bypolls, Blow to BJP
NEW DELHI: In a major setback for the ruling BJP, the opposition INDIA alliance secured a landslide victory in the recent assembly bypolls held across seven states. The coalition bagged 10 out of the 13 seats that went to the polls.

The BJP, which had managed to retain power at the Centre after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with the help of its NDA allies, could only win 2 seats in the bypolls.

The bypolls were held in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Tamil Nadu. Besides the states where the INDIA alliance is already in power, such as West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab, the coalition also won seats in Bihar and Uttarakhand, which are BJP-ruled states.

The only exceptions were Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur seat, which was won by the BJP's Ashish Sharma, and Madhya Pradesh's Amarwara assembly seat, where the BJP emerged victorious.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hailed the results, saying they reflect that people are standing with the opposition alliance "for the betterment of their lives and protection of the Constitution." Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also asserted that the bypolls have shown the people's rejection of the BJP's "arrogance, misgovernance and negative politics."

In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) registered a clean sweep, winning all four seats. The party also regained the Matua community-majority Bagda and Ranaghat Dakshin seats after a gap of eight years.

The BJP's losses in Uttarakhand and Bihar, where it is in power, were particularly significant. In Uttarakhand, the Congress won both the Badrinath and Manglaur seats, while in Bihar, an Independent candidate emerged victorious in the Rupauli assembly constituency.

The bypolls are being seen as a "litmus test" for the former Independent MLAs who had joined the BJP in Himachal Pradesh, with two of them losing the polls.

The results of the assembly bypolls are being viewed as a major setback for the BJP and a boost for the opposition INDIA alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.