Bhopal: The Congress on Sunday retained the Chitrakoot Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh by defeating the BJP in the by-poll by a margin of 14,333 votes. The Opposition Congress hailed the victory as a signal of the “winds of change” blowing in the political landscape in the country, ahead of the crucial Gujarat Assembly elections next month.
Congress candidate Nilanshu Chaturvedi secured 66,810 votes as against BJP nominee Shankar Dayal Tripathi’s 52,677 in a contest necessitated by the death of sitting Congress MLA Prem Singh, 65, in May this year.
Taking to Twitter, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala thanked voters for reposing faith in the party.
“The winds of change are in the air. Many thanks to the people of #Chitrakoot for their faith and trust in the Congress party," Mr Surjewala said.
MP wants to get rid of BJP’s misrule: Scindia
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, billed as the Madhya Pradesh chief ministerial candidate of the party in the 2018 Assembly elections, termed the by-poll results a reflection of disenchantment of people with the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
“It is clear from the Chitrakoot victory, which comes after the party’s victory in Ater Assembly bypoll a month ago, that MP wants to get rid of BJP’s misrule,” he said.
Mr Chouhan, however, tried to underplay the BJP defeat. “It is a traditional seat of the Congress which won the seat in 2013 Assembly elections defying the pro-BJP wave,” he said.
He, however, said that his party would review the by-election’s outcome.
State BJP president Nand Kumar Chouhan shared the Chief Minister’s view, saying that barring the 2008 Assembly elections the Chitrakoot seat has remained with Congress since Independence.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ajay Singh said, “The exile of the Congress in the state has ended from the ‘taposthali’ of Lord Rama. The party has won from areas where Chouhan held public meetings. The BJP candidate has been defeated from his own village as well as the village of his in-laws.” Mr Singh said the Chief Minister had made the Chitrakoot bypoll a prestige issue for himself.
