New Delhi: The 33 Assembly and 3 Lok Sabha seats bypoll results have surely come as a big shocker for the ruling BJP at the Centre. After a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections in May, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP has tasted its first major defeat. The biggest shock for the BJP has come from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP which almost swept the Lok Sabha polls has managed to win just 2 out of total 11 assembly seats that went to by-polls. The ruling Samajwadi Party has managed to stage a comeback by winning 9 assembly seats.
It has also retained Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat vacated by the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Since Mayawati led BSP did not contest in these elections, the BJP was hoping for a clean sweep eyeing the large chunk of Dalit votes. But, the results have proved the BJP calculations wrong. The all 11 seats were earlier held by the BJP and its allies.
The BJP which was hoping to repeat its spectacular Lok Sabha performance in the state assembly elections due in March 2017 has been jolted by these results. A beaming chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the results had proved that Modi wave was waning in the country.
Shockingly, the BJP has lost 3 seats to the Congress in Modi's home state of Gujarat. Out of total 9 seats that went by-polls, the BJP has won just 6 seats. The BJP won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat in May. It has retained the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat vacated by Prime Minister Modi.
In Rajasthan, the BJP has suffered a humiliating defeat. It has managed to win just one seat, out of the total four seats. The Congress has surprised everybody by winning 3 seats. An elated state Congress chief Sachin Pilot has described it as a victory of the workers of the Congress. He has also dubbed it as a vote against both the chief minister Vasundhara Raje and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Some good news for the BJP has come from West Bengal. It has won Basirath Dakshin seat and came second in the second seat Chowrangee. For the first time, the BJP has won a seat on its own in West Bengal. In Assam, the AUDF, Congress and BJP have won one seat each.
In Andhra Pradesh, the ruling TDP has won the lone Nandigama assembly seat. In Telangana, the ruling TRS has won Medak Lok Sabha seat by a huge margin. The Congress came second the BJP came third.
Independent candidate Rup Narayan Chamling Tuesday won the assembly by-poll from Rangang-Yangang assembly constituency in Sikkim. "He (Chamling) won the by-poll by a margin of 706 votes," said an election officer of Sikkim. The bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Pawan Chamling resigned from the seat and retained Namchi-Singhithang after the April assembly elections.
Rup Narayan Chamling defeated Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) candidate Kumari Manger, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Bikash Basnet, and the Congress's Bishnu Prasad Adhikari.
The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha opted out of the fray this time. R.N. Chamling is brother of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. Counting of the lone assembly seat in Chhattisgarh that went to polls will be on September 20.
According to political analysts, whatever may be the defence of the BJP, the fact of the matter is that it has lost a lot of seats in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which it swept just four months ago.
Since the BJP is attributing everything to the leadership of Modi, naturally the questions are being asked or raised about the 'Modi' factor.
The spokespersons of the BJP are trying their best to disassociate Modi from today's results. However, buoyed by the victory, the opposition parties led by the Congress have started attacking the Modi led BJP government at the Centre.
Local factors usually play a big role in the by-poll results. Since it has suffered a big jolt in both Rajasthan and Gujarat, the BJP can't attribute the SP victory in UP to state government in power. Some analysts claim that the communal polarisation of voters has backfired in UP.
Amit Shah, who has just taken charge the national president of the BJP, has a lot to answer for.
Results:
Lok Sabha - 3 seats
BJP 1, SP 1 and TRS 1
Assembly - 33 seats (Votes of 1 seat in Chhattisgarh will take place on September 20)
BJP - 11
SP - 9
Congress - 7
TMC - 1
AUDF - 1
TDP - 1
CPIM- 1 (Tripura)
Independent - 1 (Sikkim)
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