BJP draws blank as Congress bags 3 seats in Punjab, SAD 1
Chandigarh: The ruling Congress won three Assembly seats, while the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one in the Punjab by-polls, the results of which were announced n Thursday. While the Congress won the Jalalabad, Phagwara and Mukerian seats, the SAD came up trumps in Dakha. The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party drew a blank. With these victories, the Congress consolidated its position with 80 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, where it enjoys a two-thirds majority now. With the addition of Dakha, the tally of the Akalis in the House is now 14. As the BJP lost Phagwara, its strength in the House will now come down to two. In what is being seen as a major victory for the ruling party in Jalalabad, Congress’s Raminder Awla defeated SAD’s Raj Singh Dibipura by a margin of 16,633 votes. However SAD took sweet revenge when it won the Dakha constituency. Manpreet Singh Ayali of SAD defeated Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s trusted lieutenant Sandeep Sandhu by 14,672 votes.
The BJP suffered a setback in Phagwara, known as the saffron party’s pocket borough, as Congress candidate and former IAS officer Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal defeated the Rajesh Bagha by a comprehensive margin of 26,116 votes. Congress candidate Indu Bala won from Mukerian by defeating her nearest rival, BJP’s Jangi Lal Mahajan, by a margin of 3,440 votes.
Modi thanks people of Maharashtra, Haryana
New Delhi: With the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is set to retain power in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday the people of the state have blessed the NDA with immense affection. He said the NDA is ‘humbled’ to have got the people’s support yet again.
“Our work towards Maharashtra’s progress continues! I salute each and every karyakarta (worker) of the BJP, Shiv Sena and our entire NDA family for their hardwork,” Modi tweeted.
Referring to Haryana, which seems to be headed for a hung Assembly, Modi thanked the people of the state for ‘blessing’ the BJP. “We will continue to work with the same zeal and dedication for the Haryana’s progress. I laud the efforts of hardworking @BJP4Haryana karyakartas who toiled extensively and went among the people to elaborate on our development agenda,” Modi said in another tweet.
Quiet patriotism will defeat muscular nationalism: P Chidambaram
New Delhi: Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who was sent to the ED custody Thursday, took a dig at the NDA government over its subdued performance in elections for 51 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies. “Quiet patriotism will defeat muscular nationalism,” the veteran Congress leader said while stepping out of the crowded courtroom here.
BJP wins both seats in Himachal Pradesh
Shimla: The ruling BJP on Thursday retained both Dharamshala and Pachhad seats in Himachal Pradesh where by-polls were held earlier this week. In Pachhad, Reena Kashyap of the BJP, who polled 22,167 votes, defeated her nearest rival Gangu Ram Musafir (19,359) of the Congress by a margin of 2,808 votes. In Dharamshala, BJP’s Vishal Nehria (23,498) defeated his nearest rival Rakesh Kumar (16,740) by 6,758 votes.
Congress claims ‘moral defeat’ for BJP
New Delhi: The Congress said Thursday that the poll verdict in Haryana and Maharashtra is a moral defeat of the BJP and what it stands for. Congress’ senior spokesperson Anand Sharma also said that BJP chief Amit Shah’s claim of victory in Haryana does not hold as the party is short of majority and there is a significant drop in its vote percentage.
Mixed fortunes for UDF, LDF in Kerala polls
Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led UDF tasted defeat at the hands of the ruling LDF headed by the CPI-M in its strongholds of Vattiyoorkavu and Konni, while it retained two seats and won from the marxist bastion of Aroor in the October 21 by-poll to five Assembly seats in Kerala. The BJP was completely blanked out.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor VK Prasanth won from Vattiyoorkavu by a margin of over 14,465 votes against his nearest Congress rival K Mohankumar. Another UDF bastion, Konni, went to the LDF kitty with its candidate K U Jenish Kumar winning by 9,953 votes against P Mohanraj (Congress).
However, the LDF tasted defeat at Aroor, a CPI(M) stronghold where UDF’s Shanimol Usman won with a margin of 2,079 votes against LDF candidate Manu C Pulickal. The UDF won the Manjeshwaram seat where MC Kamaruddin (IUML) won by a margin of 7,923 votes against BJP’s Raveesh Thanthri Kuntar. The UDF retained the Ernakulam seat as its candidate TJ Vinod defeated his nearest rival advocate Manu Roy, the LDF-Independent candidate by over 3,750 votes.
Khattar retains Karnal seat, margin decreases
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar retained his Karnal seat defeating his nearest Congress rival Tarlochan Singh by a margin of 45,188 votes, according to the Election Commission. However, it must be said that the winning margin came down in comparison to the 2014 Assembly election. Then Khattar had won by a margin of 63,773.
Top Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala loses in Haryana
Chandigarh: Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala lost to BJP’s Leela Ram from Kaithal constituency, as per result declared by the Election Commission by a narrow margin of 1,246 votes. His loss is a big blow to the Congress in Haryana.
Rajasthan by-polls: Cong wins Mandawa seat, RLP retains Khinwsar
Jaipur: The ruling Congress in Rajasthan increased Thursday its tally in the state legislature by one after winning the assembly by-polls to Mandawa while MP Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) retained the Khinwsar seat.
Congress candidate Rita Chaudhary won the Mandawa seat with a margin of 33,704 votes against BJP’s Sushila Sigra while RLP candidate Narayan Beniwal emerged victorious in the Khinwsar seat by just 4,630 votes defeating Congress candidate and former minister Harendra Mirdha.
BJP will stake claim to form government in Haryana: Amit Shah
New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah indicated Thursday that his party will stake claim to form the next government in Haryana after the Assembly election results threw up a hung verdict. “The (Manohar Lal) Khattar government in Haryana has made every effort for people’s welfare under the central leadership of (Narendra) Modi. I thank people for making the BJP the single-largest party and giving it another opportunity to serve them,” Shah said in a tweet. He also congratulated Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state party chief Subhash Barala.
UDP retains Shella Assembly seat in Meghalaya
Shillong: The United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate Balajied Kupar Synrem won the by-poll to Shella Assembly constituency in Meghalaya by over 6,000 votes, EC officials said Thursday. UDP, which is part of the ruling alliance in the north eastern state, has retained the seat. With this win, the UDP has now 9 MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya house.
The bye-election was necessitated due to the death of UDP president Donkupar Roy, who had represented the seat for a record seven times, earlier this year. Synrem is the son of Donkupar Roy.
Synrem secured 12,002 votes while his nearest rival Independent candidate Grace Mary Kharpuri bagged 5,781 votes, chief electoral officer FR Kharkongor said.
Congress wrests Jhabua seat from BJP in MP
Jhabua: The Congress wrested Thursday back its traditional Jhabua Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh from the BJP in the bypoll for the constituency. Congress candidate and former Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria won by margin of over 27,804 votes, defeating BJP’s Bhanu Bhuria, who was contesting his maiden election, an official said. Kantilal Bhuria polled 96,155 votes while his BJP rival got 68,351 votes, the official informed.
BJP tally may have dipped, but strike rate better: Fadnavis
Mumbai: The BJP has won fewer seats compared to the 2014 Assembly polls, but its ‘strike rate’ this time is better, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Thursday. He also thanked the people of Maharashtra for giving a ‘clear and decisive mandate’ to the BJP-led NDA.
Fadnavis also said that the BJP and Shiv Sena will go by what was ‘pre-decided’ between them on sharing of power. He noted the BJP suffered in the state elections due to rebellion by some party leaders, but added that 15 of those are in touch with him.
“In fact, it is time to celebrate and not analyse. But if we look at the result, the BJP had in 2014 contested 260 seats and won 122. This time, we fought 164 and are likely to get 105. Our strike is rate better, we won 70 per cent of the seats we contested,” Fadnavis asserted.
22 per cent dip in BJP’s vote share in Haryana from LS polls
New Delhi: The vote share of the ruling BJP fell by a massive 22 per cent in the Haryana Assembly polls. The saffron party had secured over 58 per cent votes in the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May and won all the 10 seats. According to the latest data available on the EC website, the BJP got 36.3 per cent votes.
The vote share of the Congress, which has emerged stronger than the last polls but is behind the BJP, is almost the same as it was in the Lok Sabha polls. The party got 28.42 per cent of the total votes polled in the Lok Sabha election, while in the Assembly polls, it has secured 28.2 per cent votes and 33 seats.
Massive win for Ajit Pawar in Baramati
Pune: Former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar won the Baramati Assembly seat Thursday by a huge margin of 1,65,265 votes, according to EC statistics. Ajit Pawar, nephew of NCP president Sharad Pawar, polled 1,95,641 votes, while his nearest rival, Gopichand Padalkar of the BJP, bagged just 30,376 votes.
According to NCP office-bearers, this was a record-breaking victory margin for Ajit Pawar in Baramati, a bastion of the Pawar family in western Maharashtra’s Pune district. In 2014, Ajit Pawar had won from the seat with a margin of 89,791 votes.
Tally dips for BJP in Maharashtra as Shiv Sena, NCP gain
Mumbai: Maharashtra looks set to have a BJP-led government for another five years, even as the results of the Assembly polls indicated a dip in the party’s tally, while the Shiv Sena and NCP appeared to have improved theirs.
As per the results and trends available so far, the BJP’s position in the 288-member Assembly stands at 99, including 19 seats where results were declared.
The Sena’s tally is 57, including 14 results, NCP’s is 55 including 10 results, while the Congress’ was 44, including 13 results.
In the 2014 polls, the BJP had won 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, the Congress 42 and the NCP 41. The BJP and Sena had then contested separately. Shiv Sena had joined the Devendra Fadnavis-led government over a month after it was formed.
NCP’s Shriniwas Patil, ex-bureaucrat and former governor of Sikkim, became a ‘giant killer’ after he trounced Udayanraje Bhosale in the Satara Lok Sabha by-poll, which was also held on October 21 along with the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Prominent winners in the Assembly elections include Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde.
Former Chief Ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were other prominent winners.
Dhananjay Munde ‘happy and pained’ after win
Mumbai: NCP leader Dhananjay Munde said Thursday that he was both ‘joyous and pained’, as he took an unassailable lead over his cousin and Maharashtra BJP minister Pankaja Munde in the Parli Assembly seat, which saw the two engage in recrimination in a high-voltage contest. He also thanked the people for his ‘unprecedented victory’.
On the other hand, Pankaja Munde dubbed her defeat was ‘unexpected and inscrutable’, but she accepted the people’s mandate humbly.
According to the trends made available by Election Commission so far, NCP leader Dhananjay has secured 1.22 lakh votes as against 91,413 votes bagged by his BJP opponent.
BJP retains Lucknow Cantonment seat, ally Apne Dal (S) wins Pratapgarh
Lucknow: The BJP retained Thursday the Lucknow Cantonment seat with its nominee Suresh Chandra Tiwari defeating nearest rival Samajwadi Party candidate Major Ashish Chaturvedi by a comfortable margin of over 35,000 votes. While Tiwari secured 56,684 votes, Chaturvedi got 21,261 votes and Congress’ Dilpreet Singh and BSP’s Arun Dwivedi got 19,445 and 10,709 votes respectively, official sources said here. The Lucknow Cantonment seat was held by BJP’s Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who vacated the seat in 2017 after winning the Lok Sabha election from Allahabad.
Meanwhile the BJP’s ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) candidate Rajkumar Pal won the Pratapgarh Assembly seat by defeating Samajwadi Party candidate Brijesh Verma by 29,714 votes.
Bihar by-polls: RJD wrests Simri Bakhtiarpur seat from JD(U)
Saharsa (Bihar): The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) wrested Thursday the Simri Bakhtiyarpur Assembly seat from the ruling JD(U) in Bihar, an election official said here. RJD’s Zafar Alam defeated JD(U)candidate Arun Kumar by a comprehensive margin of 15,508 votes, the official said. The by-election to the Assembly seat was necessitated after former State Minister and JD(U) MLA Dinesh Chandra Yadav was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Madhepura constituency.
Aditya Thackeray wins Worli seat
Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray won the Worli Assembly seat here by over 70,000 votes. He defeated NCP’s Suresh Mane. Aditya victory assumes significance as this is the first time anyone from the Thackeray family has forayed into electoral politics. Many have stated before the Maharashtra Assembly polls, that the Shiva Sena will press for Aditya to be nominated as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
LDF wins 2 seats in Kerala, UDF 1
Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF registered impressive wins at Vattiyoorkavu and Konni, the two strongholds of the Congress- headed UDF, while the opposition front retained the Ernakulam seat in the October 21 by-polls.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Prasanth, who contested at Vattiyoorkavu constituency won with a margin of 14,465 votes against his nearest rival, Congress’ K Mohankumar, while K U Jinesh Kumar won from Konni by a margin of 9,953 votes. The UDF candidate TJ Vinod won the Ernakulam seat by a margin of 3,750 votes defeating Manu Roy (LDF-IND).
Non-BJP parties should come together in Haryana: Hooda
Chandigarh: With the Haryana Assembly heading for a fractured mandate, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda urged Thursday non-BJP outfits to join hands. “This mandate is against the BJP. The JJP, INLD and others, including the Independents, should join hands with the Congress to keep the BJP at bay,” Hooda told reporters in Rohtak. Hooda, who is leading by a comfortable margin from his stronghold Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak district, said the people had given their mandate against the BJP over its ‘non-fulfilment of promises and non-performance’.
NDA performs badly, RJD shines, AIMIM announces arrival in Bihar
Patna: The ruling NDA in Bihar came out with a dismal performance Thursday in by-elections to five Assembly segments of the state, touted as the ‘semifinal’ ahead of the Vidhan Sabha polls scheduled next year. But, in the Samastipur Lok Sabha seat, its constituent LJP, seems poised to comfortably retain the reserved constituency which fell vacant upon the death of party’s sitting MP Ram Chandra Paswan. His son Prince Raj is ahead of his nearest Congress rival Ashok Kumar by a margin of more than 80,000 votes.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which held four of the five Assembly seats going to by-polls, is trailing by substantial margins of over 10,000 votes in Daraundha, Simri Bakhtiarpur and Belhar and by a slender margin in Nathnagar. It’s ally the BJP, which contested Kishaganj, is trailing behind dark horse AIMIM of firebrand Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi while the Congress, which held the seat, is finishing a distant third.
BJP, Apne dal (S) maintains lead in UP
Lucknow: The ruling BJP and ally Apna Dal (S) improved their leads and are ahead in eight places as counting progressed Thursday in 11 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP is now leading in seven seats and ally Apna Dal (S) in one. The Samajwadi Party is ahead in two, while the Bahujan Samaj Party is leading in the remaining seat. The Congress is yet to take a lead in any of the seats. The Congress, which was initially ahead in Gangoh constituency, was overtaken by the ruling saffron party in later rounds of counting.
Jolt for BJP in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: Of the six Assembly seats in Gujarat where by-poll were held October 21, the Congress is now leading on four seats while the ruling BJP is ahead on two seats.
In Radhanpur (Patan district), OBC leader and BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor is trailing behind Congress’ Raghu Desai by over 8,700 votes. In Bayad (Arvalli), BJP candidate Dhavalsinh Zala is trailing behind Congress’ Jashu Patel by over 7,000 votes.
In the Amraiwadi seat of Ahmedabad, Congress’ Dharmendra Patel is leading over BJP’s Jagdish Patel by 4,200 votes. Making a comeback after trailing initially, Congress candidate from Tharad seat in Banaskantha district, Gulabsinh Rajput, is now leading by over 5,400 votes over BJP’s Jivraj Patel.
Early gains for BJP, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Results of six Assembly segments have so far been announced in the Maharashtra elections. The BJP has won three of those, the Shiv Sena two and one has gone to an Independent candidate.
Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra School Education Minister Ashish Shelar won from Bandra-West seat in Mumbai defeating Congress’ Asif Zakaria by 26,507 votes. BJP’s Parag Shah defeated Satish Pawar of the MNS by a margin of 53,319 votes from the Ghatkopar-East seat in Mumbai. Sunil Rane of the BJP won from Borivali Assembly seat defeating his Congress rival Kumar Khilare by 95,021 votes.
Shiv Sena leader Sunil Prabhu defeated NCP’s Vidya Chavan from Dindoshi Assembly seat by 44,511 votes while Ajay Choudhary of the Shiv Sena won from Shivadi seat in Mumbai by defeating his MNS rival Santosh Nalavade by 39,337 votes.
Independent candidate Mahesh Valdi won from Uran seat in Raigad district against Shiv Sena’s Manoj Bhoir by a margin of 5,710 votes.
Haryana BJP chief resigns
Chandigarh: Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala resigned Thursday after election trends showed both the ruling party and the Congress being locked in a tough contest with no one looking set to attain majority on its own in the 90-member Assembly. As per the latest trends, Barala is trailing by 25,090 votes over Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate Devinder Singh Babli from the Tohana seat. Barala has resigned as state BJP chief, party sources said.
Moment of truth says K Palaniswami
Chennai: As his party appears set to wrest both the Vikravandi and Nanguneri Assembly constituencies from the opposition, AIADMK top leader and Chief Minister K Palaniswami said Thursday it is a victory for truth.
Dubbing the October 21 by-polls to the two Assembly segments as historic, Palaniswami alleged the DMK hoodwinked the people by giving false promises and through a campaign of lies during the Lok Sabha elections and the by-polls to 22 Assembly segments in April. The DMK and its allies had won 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu. The main opposition party had also emerged victorious in 13 of the 22 Assembly segments and AIADMK could manage to win only nine.
“Since people have (now) realised the truth they have given a resounding win to the AIADMK and this is a victory for truth,” K Palaniswami told reporters here.
Minister loses in Haryana
Chandigarh: Haryana minister Krishan Kumar Bedi lost to Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) rival Ram Karan from the Shahbad reserved constituency Thursday. Bedi lost by a margin of 37,127 votes to the JJP candidate, as per the result declared by the Election Commission.
Dushyant Chautala set to emerge kingmaker in Haryana
Chandigarh: Seven ministers are trailing as both the ruling BJP and the Congress are locked in a tough contest Thursday with no party looking set to attain majority on its own in the 90-member Assembly, according to the latest trends.
The BJP, which had set a target of winning 75 seats ahead of the polls, is leading in 38 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 32 constituencies. The fledgling Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which fought its maiden assembly polls, is also ahead in 10 seats. If the trends hold, the JJP could likely emerge as the kingmaker and hold the key to formation of the next government.
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is ahead in two seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Loktanter Suraksha Party are leading in one constituencies each, according to the latest trends.
JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said that the trends show ‘there was a huge anti-incumbency against the Khattar government’. Asked about which party the JJP will give support, he said: “It’s too early to say anything. We will first summon a meeting of our MLAs, decide who would be our leader in the House and then take it further.”
Dushyant also took a swipe at the BJP’s ‘Mission 75’, saying the saffron party would fall way short of their target. “People of Haryana want change,’ he told reporters.
LJP candidate Prince Raj establishes healthy lead in Samastipur Lok Sabha constituency
Patna: Prince Raj of the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) has established a lead of 31,375 votes over his nearest rival Ashok Kumar of the Congress in the by-poll to the Samastipur Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, as per the latest trends. The by-election to the seat was necessitated after the death of LJP MP Ram Chandra Paswan, following which the party fielded his son Prince Raj. So far Prince Raj has garnered 1,03,371 votes, while Kumar has secured 71,996 votes.
By-elections were also held in Belhar, Simri Bakhtiarpur, Nathnagar, Kishanganj and Daraunda Assembly constituencies on account of the sitting MLAs getting elected to the Lok Sabha.
The RJD is leading in two constituencies while the JD (U) and the AIMIM in one seat each. An independent candidate is also leading in one seat.
Zafar Alam of the RJD is leading over his nearest rival Arun Kumar of the JD(U) by 825 votes in Simri Bakhtiarpur seat.
Qamrul Hoda of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is leading over his nearest rival Sweety Singh of the BJP by 7,398 votes.
Lakshmikant Mandal of the JD(U) has established a lead of 5,811 votes over his nearest rival Rabiya Khatun of the RJD in Nathnagar seat.
Ramdeo Yadav of the RJD has established a lead of 9,058 votes over his nearest rival Laldhari Yadav of the JD(U) in Belhar seat.
Congress leads in 3 of the 4 seats in Punjab
Chandigarh: The Congress was leading in the three seats of Jalalabad, Phagwara and Mukerian, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was ahead in Dakha in the by-polls to four Assembly seats of Punjab, as per early trends.
Congress nominee Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal is leading over his nearest rival and BJP nominee Rajesh Bagha by a margin of 6,821 votes from Phagwara seat while from Mukerian seat, Congress candidate Indu Bala was leading by 2,684 votes against her nearest rival and BJP nominee Jangi Lal Mahajan. From Jalalabad, Congress candidate Raminder Awla was also ahead of SAD candidate Raj Singh Dibipura by 9,071 votes.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Manpreet Singh Ayali was leading by a comfortable margin of 6,477 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Sandeep Sandhu from Dakha assembly seat.
BJP leads in 7 Uttar Pradesh seats
Lucknow: The ruling BJP is ahead in six Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and ally Apna Dal (S) in one, as per the latest trends Thursday. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is ahead in two, while the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are leading in the two remaining seats.
The BJP is leading in Manikpur, Ghosi, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt, Govindnagar and Balha, while its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) is ahead in Pratapgarh.
The SP is ahead in Rampur and Zairpur, the BSP in Jalalpur and the Congress in Gangoh.
The BJP currently has 302 members in the 403-member assembly, NDA ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) has eight MLAs, the SP has 47, the BSP has 18, while the Congress has seven.
Healthy lead for Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was leading over his nearest Congress rival Ashish Deshmukh by 5,103 votes in Nagpur-South West seat Assembly constituency seat according to information available from the Election Commission of India (ECI). State BJP chief and Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil was leading over MNS nominee Kishore Shinde by 10,086 votes in Kothrud.
NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was leading over Gopichand Padalkar of the BJP by 49,851 votes in Baramati. However BJP minister Pankaja Munde was trailing behind estranged cousin and Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde by 20,981 votes in Parli. Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan was leading against Shrinivas Gorthekar of the BJP by 16,900 votes in Bhokar.
BJP wins Dharamshala by-poll in Himachal Pradesh
Shimla: The ruling BJP won the Dharamshala by-poll Thursday in Himachal Pradesh, with its candidate Vishal Nehriya winning by margin of 6,673 votes. Nehriya defeated his nearest rival Rakesh Kumar, an independent candidate. Congress candidate Vijay Inder Karan was in the third place. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the victory margin of Kishan Kapoor of the BJP over Sudhir Sharma of the Congress was of 2,997 votes in Dharamshala.
Seven Haryana ministers, state BJP chief, Assembly Speaker trailing
Chandigarh: Seven Haryana ministers, including Ram Bilas Sharma and Captain Abhimanyu, and state BJP chief Subhash Barala were trailing, as per early Election Commission trends. Haryana Assembly Speaker Kanwar Pal, a BJP legislator from Jagadhri, was also trailing in his constituency behind Congress’ Akram Khan by a margin of 5,889 votes.
Meanwhile Sharma, a five-time legislator, was trailing by a slim margin of 329 votes against Congress’ Rao Dan Singh while Abhimanyu, sitting MLA from Narnaund, was trailing by a margin of 9,956 behind JJP’s Ram Kumar Gautam.
State BJP chief Barala was trailing by a margin of 10,383 behind Jannayak Janta Party’s (JJP) Devender Singh Babli from Tohana seat.
Among other ministers who were behind include Kavita Jain trailing behind Surender Panwar of the Congress by a margin of 5,761 votes from Sonipat segment while another minister Manish Grover was behind Congress’ BB Batra from Rohtak by a margin of 3,061 votes.
Close fight between BJP, Congress in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: The Congress and the BJP are locked in a close contest in the Gujarat by-polls. In Radhanpur (Patan district), OBC leader and BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor trailing behind Congress’ Raghu Desai by 3,000 votes. In Bayad (Arvalli), BJP candidate Dhavalsinh Zala trailing behind Jasu Patel of the Congress by over 6,600 votes. However, in Tharad (Banaskantha), Kheralu (Mehsana) and Lunawada (Mahisagar) seats, the BJP candidates are leading their rivals.
Ruling BJP leads in 3 Assam Assembly constituencies
Guwahati: The ruling BJP is leading in three of the four Assembly seats in Assam in which by-polls were held Monday. While Rajen Borthakur of the BJP is leading over his nearest rival Kartik Kurmi of the Congress by 19,965 votes in Rangapara Assembly constituency, Bijoy Malakar of the saffron party has established a lead of 4,501 votes over Congress’ Keshab Prasad Rajak in Ratabari Assembly seat. Borthakur has secured 28,437 votes while Kurmi has garnered 8,472 votes, as per the latest trends. Nabanita Handique of the BJP is leading over her nearest rival Sushil Kumar Suri of the Congress by 76 votes in Sonari Assembly seat.
Dushyant Chautala achieves comfortable lead
Chandigarh: Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala was leading over his nearest BJP rival Prem Lata from Uchana Kalan constituency in Haryana’s Jind district. The JJP leader has attained a comfortable lead of 10,420 votes over Lata, who is a sitting MLA and wife of former Union Minister Birender Singh, according to latest trends. Dushyant is a former MP from Hisar, who floated the JJP last year after a vertical split in the INLD following a family feud in the Chautala clan.
LDF leads in two seats, UDF in three in Kerala by-polls
Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala is leading in two constituencies – Vatiyoorkavu and Konni – while the opposition Congress-led UDF is ahead in three as per early trends in the by-polls to the five Assembly seats.
City mayor VK Prashant is ahead by over 7,000 votes in Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram against his nearest UDF rival K Mohankumar. In Konni, LDF’s K U Jinesh Kumar is leading by over 5,000 votes against his UDF rival P Mohanrajan.
While Shanimol Usman of the UDF is leading by over 2,000 votes in Aroor, a stronghold of the LDF, in Ernakulam TJ Vinod is ahead by 3,800 votes and in Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod UDF candidate MC Kamaruddin has established a lead of over 3,000 votes.
Rita Sahu establishes comfortable lead in Bijepur by-poll
Bhubaneswar: BJD’s Rita Sahu is all set to get re-elected from the Bijepur Assembly constituency the by-poll of which was conducted Monday. After the end of the fifth round of counting Rita Sahu has polled 38,318 votes leaving her nearest rivals Sanat Kumar Gartia of the BJP (9,507 votes) and the Congress’ Dillip Kumar Panda (1,435 votes) way behind.
At the end of the sixth round of counting, Rita Sahu has established a lead of over 33,000 votes over Sanat Kumar Gartia.
BJP-Shiv Sena alliance on course to retain power in Maharashtra
Mumbai: The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is on course to retain power in Maharashtra as per early trends of counting of votes available so far. Of the trends in 81 of 288 Assembly seats available so far, BJP is leading in 26, Shiv Sena in 22, while opposition Congress is ahead in seven seats and NCP in 17. The Independents were ahead in four seats. The Sharad Pawar-led party appeared to have fared better than its parent party and is performing well in Western Maharashtra.
Comfortable lead for BJD’s Rita Sahu
Bhubaneswar: BJD’s Rita Sahu has already established a lead of over close to 5,000 votes after the first round of counting for the Bijepur Assembly began Thursday. Currently Rita Sahu has got 7,005 votes while her nearest rivals BJP’s Sanat Kumar Gartia and Dillip Kumar Panda of the Congress have bagged 2217 and 317 votes respectively.
Counting for UP by-polls begins
Lucknow: Counting of votes for by-polls to 11 Assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh began at 8.00am, Thursday. All preparations for the smooth counting have been completed, the election office here said. Of the 11 seats where by-polls were held, eight were held by the BJP and one by its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). Two other seats were shared by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP, BSP, SP and the Congress fielded their candidates on all the 11 seats.
Punjab by-polls: Cong ahead in 2 seats; SAD, BJP leading in 1 each
Chandigarh: The Congress is ahead in Jalalabad and Phagwara seats, while the SAD and the BJP are leading in Dakha and Mukerian respectively in the by-polls to four assembly seats of Punjab, as per early trends.
Congress nominee Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal has established a narrow lead of 761 votes over his nearest rival and BJP nominee Rajesh Baghain the Phagwara seat, as per initial trends. From Jalalabad, Congress candidate Raminder Awla is ahead of SAD candidate Raj Singh Dibipura by 2,060 votes.
Adityta Thackeray establishes comfortable lead
Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray has established a comfortable lead in Worli Assembly constituency of Maharashtra where he is making his electoral debut. The 29-year-old Thackeray scion is pitted against NCP’s Suresh Mane and has established a lead of over 7,000 votes as per the early trends.
Former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has established a lead of 6,595 votes over his BJP rival Gopichand Padalkar in Baramati.
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde is leading over his rival and BJP minister Pankaja Munde by 1,654 votes.
Overall the BJP is leading in 12 seats, Shiv Sena in six while the Congress and NCP are leading in three seats each
Khattar, Hooda among early leaders in Haryana
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his predecessor Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress are among those who were leading from their respective constituencies, as per the early trends available, Thursday.
Manohar Lal Khattar, a first-time MLA, is seeking re-election from Karnal, while Bhupinder Singh Hooda is seeking re-election from his stronghold Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak district.
Haryana minister Anil Vij, a five-time legislator from Ambala Cantt, was said to be leading from his constituency in early trends.
Counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly election began at 8.00 am Thursday, with the BJP looking to retain power and its hopes buoyed by exit polls that indicated an easy victory.
Counting begins for Maharashtra polls
Mumbai: Counting of votes for Maharashtra Assembly polls and Satara Lok Sabha by-poll, held Monday, began at 8.00am Thursday, election officials said. Counting of votes for all the 288 Assembly segments began at 269 locations in the state, the officials said.
Exit polls have predicted a comfortable win for the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state.
Around 25,000 personnel are deployed on counting duty, an election official said. He added that police have also made adequate arrangements to ensure a smooth counting process.
A total of 3,239 candidates contested from the 288 seats, where the key contest is between the BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP alliances.