Lucknow: BJP wrested the Muzaffarnagar seat from the ruling Samajwadi Party, which also lost the Deoband seat to the Congress in two of the three by-elections in UP for which results were announced on Tuesday.
The bypoll results are being viewed as crucial in the countdown to the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh next year. The ruling party was leading in Bikapur, according to the latest trends.
"Congress has won Deoband (Saharanpur), while BJP has won Muzaffarnagar seat. SP is leading in Bikapur (Faizabad), where counting is still underway," UP Chief Electoral Officer, Arun Singhal told PTI.
While BJP's Kapil Dev Agarwal has won from the Muzffarnagar seat, Mavia Ali of Congress won the Deoband defeating SP candidate Meena Rana. SP's Anand Sen Yadav is leading in Bikapur over his nearest rival RLD candidate Munna Singh Chauhan.
The by-elections were necessitated in Muzaffarnagar, Deoband and Bikapur due to death of of SP MLAs Chitranjan Swaroop, Rajendra Singh Rana and Mitrasen Yadav last year.
Gaurav Swaroop was the SP candidate from Muzaffarnagar, while Anandsen Yadav and Meena Rana were the party candidates from Bikapur and Deoband seat.
Following is a list of bypoll results from various parts of the country:
Tripura
Ruling CPI-M on Tuesday won the Birganj Assembly by-election in Tripura's Gomati district, with party candidate Parimal Debnath trouncing his nearest BJP candidate by a margin of 10,597 votes.
While Debnath secured 20,355 votes, BJP's Ranjit Das polled 9,758 votes. Congress candidate Chanchal De got only 1,231 votes and his deposit was forfeited, Returning Officer Debapriya Bardhan told reporters.
The by-poll was held on February 13. The seat had fallen vacant following the resignation of the Manoranjan Acharjee from the Assembly on December 10 last after he was expelled from CPI(M) on charges of moral turpitude.
Acharjee had allegedly molested an eight-year-old girl inside the party office at Amarpur sub-division late last year as per an FIR lodged against him, police said.
Bihar
Nearly three months after its stupendous victory, the Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar suffered a setback losing Harlakhi Assembly bypoll to BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) candidate by 18,650 votes.
Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha led RLSP candidate Sudhansu Sekhar, riding on a sympathy wave, defeated his Congress rival Mohammad Shabir by a margin of 18,650 votes. Upendra's father Basant Kushwaha had died a day before oath taking in November last year.
Returning Officer Bishnudeo Mandal said while RLSP nominee polled 62,434 votes, the Congress candidate bagged 43,784 votes and CPI Ram Naresh Pandey 19,835.
The victory margin of the RLSP candidate is almost five times more than his father, who had defeated the same Congress candidate Mohammad Shabir in October-November poll by about 3,600 votes.
With today's victory, the tally of RLSP goes up to two in the 16th Bihar Assembly while that of NDA to 58 in the 243-member House. BJP has 53 MLAs, LJP 2, RLSP 2 and Hindustani Awam Morcha of Jitan Ram Manjhi 1.
Madhya Pradesh
BJP candidate Narayan Tripathi was leading by 10,892 votes over his nearest Congress rival Manish Patel in Maihar Assembly by-poll in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, the counting for which is underway.
"Tripathi was leading by a margin of 10,892 ballots over his Congress rival Patel after completion of nine rounds of counting," an official said.
The by-poll was necessitated after Tripathi, the then Congress MLA from Maihar, resigned from his post and party after joining BJP.
Maharashtra
Shiv Sena retained the Palghar Assembly seat with its nominee Amit Ghoda defeating Congress candidate Rajendra Gavit by 18,948 votes.
While Ghoda polled 67,129 votes, Gavit got 48,181 votes. The by-poll was necessitated following the death of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Krishna Arjun Ghoda.
Ghoda passed away on May 24, 2015 following a heart attack and his son Amit was given a ticket by the Sena for the by-poll. Though it was a multi-cornered contest, the real fight was between Amit Ghoda and Gavit, former Maharashtra minister.
The other contestants in the fray included former Sena leader Manisha Nimkar, who this time contested on a Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) ticket, Chandrakant Vartha (CPI-M) and Dileep A Dumada (Bahujan Mukti Party).
Punjab
Ruling SAD won the bypollto Khadoor Sahib Assembly seat, with party candidate Ravinder Singh Brahmpura defeating his nearest rival Independent candidate Bhupinder Singh by a margin of 65,664 votes.
Main opposition parties Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had stayed out of the contest. Brahmpura defeated Bhupinder Singh, who had broken away from the Congress and entered the fray as an Independent.
Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer V K Singh said that at the end of 15 rounds of counting, Brahmpura had polled 83,080 votes as against 17,416 in favour of Bhupinder.
"Ravinder Brahmpura has won by 65664 votes," he said. Another Independent candidate Sumel Singh Sidhu could only poll 2,243 votes. He had parted ways with AAP to contest the poll.
The bypoll was held as the seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned in protest against sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib last year.
Congress had "boycotted" the polls, saying the issue on which Sikki had resigned was still unresolved.
There were seven contestants in the fray but among the main political parties, only Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had put up his candidate.
Besides, Ravinder Singh Brahampura, son of Akali stalwart, Ranjit Singh Brahampura, the six others who had entered the fray were Puran Singh of BSP (Ambedkar) and Independents - Sumel Singh Sidhu (AAP rebel), Bhupinder Singh Bittu (Congress rebel), Sukhdev Singh, Harjit Singh and Anantjit Singh Sandhu.
Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister and SAD President Sukhbir Badal during his campaigning on this assembly seat had slammed both Congress and AAP for "running away" from the contest as "both parties are scared of losing".
Akali Dal workers celebrated the victory of their party in the bypolls by bursting firecrackers, dancing to the beats of drums and distributing sweets to people.
Speaking to reporters, Brahmpura said the people had endorsed the policies and programmes of the SAD-BJP Government.
"I want to thank the people and my party workers. I also want to thank and give credit for this victory to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM and our party president Sukhbir Singh," he said.
The winning candidate's father and SAD MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said that people have voted for development. He did not agree with the view that it was a one-sided victory for SAD in the absence of opposition parties like Congress and AAP, stating that these parties had "run away" fearing their defeat in the polls.
"Development is our priority, we will further accelerate development in our constituency and in entire Punjab. Today's victory will definitely have a big impact on the upcoming 2017 polls and Badal Sahib (CM) will be back as Chief Minister of Punjab for the sixth time," he said.
Karnataka
BJP is leading in two of the three Assembly constituencies that went to by-elections on Friday.
According to the office of Chief Electoral Officer, BJP is leading in Devadurga and Hebbal constituencies by a margin of 15,025 votes and 16,171 votes, respectively, and Congress in Bidar by a margin of 20,248 votes till around noon. The by-polls were necessitated due to the death of sitting members.
In all the three constituencies, there is a direct fight between ruling Congress and opposition BJP, while political infighting in former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) has reduced the party to third position.
Hebbal in Bengaluru is considered crucial for Congress as stakes are high for the party, which has fielded C K Abdul Rahman Sharief, grandson of senior party leader C K Jaffer Sharief, against the wishes of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who had opted for MLC Byrathi Suresh as the candidate.
As per current trends, BJP's Y A Narayana Swamy in Hebbal is leading with 37,640 votes, while Rahman Shariff has secured 21,469 and JD(S) candidate Ismail Sharieff Nana 2,515 votes.
Ten candidates are in the fray in Bidar, three in Devadurga and 20 in Hebbal. Of the three seats, BJP had held Hebbal and Bidar and Congress Devadurga.
Telangana
Continuing its winning streak, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Tuesday wrested the Narayankhed Assembly seat in Medak district from Congress with its candidate Bhupal Reddy winning the seat by a margin of 53,625 votes.
Congress candidate P Sanjeeva Reddy polled 39,451 votes while M Vijaypal Reddy of TDP got 14,787 votes in the constituency, considered a Congress bastion.
The by-poll was necessitated following the death of Sanjeeva Reddy's father P Kishta Reddy.
The result came as a further boost to the TRS, led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, as the party had scored a landslide win in the recent Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls, bagging 99 seats of the 150-member civic body.
It had also won the Warangala Lok Sabha by-poll with a massive margin. The TRS candidate maintained his lead from the first round of counting till the last.
In the recent GHMC elections, the results were more favourable to the TRS than even the exit poll predictions. In 2014 Assembly elections, Congress candidate Patlolla Kista Reddy polled 62,347 votes while his TRS rival Mahareddy Bhupal Reddy got 47,601 votes.
