Delhi Voters Ask: Hum AAP Ke Hain Kaun, Kejri Candidate Loses Deposit

The BJP proved its electoral supremacy once again by winning almost all byelections it contested in North India and stood second in the two seats it contested in Karnataka and the solitary seat it contested in West Bengal. It won Dhemaji from Assam, Bhoranj in Himachal Pradesh, Dholpur in Rajasthan and Rajouri Garden in Delhi. The Congress retained two seats it contested in Karnataka, the only big state where it is in power now, and the TMC proved its supremacy in the lone seat of Kanthi Dakshin seat where it romped home comfortably.

Rajouri Garden Rejects AAP Lock, Stock and Barrel

The biggest upset of the elections is AAP's dismal performance in Delhi's Rajouri Garden constituency, where the BJP has won defeating the AAP candidate. In fact, AAP a humiliating defeat by finishing a distant third and even lost deposit. BJP-SAD joint candidate Manjinder Singh Sirsa bagged 40,602 seats, over 50 per cent of the total votes polled, in a boost for the saffron party ahead of the April 23 municipal polls.Congress' Meenakshi Chandela finished second with 25,950 votes while AAP's Harjeet Singh managed to get only 10,243 votes, less than one-sixth of the total votes polled, and lost deposit. With the victory, the BJP's tally in the 70-member Delhi Assembly will become four. The Congress does not have any presence in the House. The seat fell vacant early this year after AAP's Jarnail Singh quit as MLA to contest the Punjab Assembly poll against SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal.

Sonowal gives Sarvanand for BJP

BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu won the Dhemaji Assembly by-election in Assam defeating his nearest Congress rival Babul Sonowal by 9,285 votes. While the BJP candidate polled 75,217 votes, his Congress rival garnered 65,932 votes. The bypoll was necessitated following the election of BJP MLA Pradan Baruah as MP from Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat.

Mamtha shows she’s the boss

Trinamool Congress candidate Chandrima Bhattacharya is leading over her nearest BJP rival Sourindra Mohan Jana by over 36,000 votes in the Kanthi Dakshin Assembly constituency where counting was still on. The TMC candidate secured 74,584 votes, while the BJP nominee got 38316 votes after twelve rounds of counting. CPI candidate Uttam Pradhan bagged 12,846 votes and the Congress aspirant Naba Kumar Nanda got 1,759 votes.

Lotus blooms in snow-clad hills

In Himachal Pradesh' Bhoranj, BJP candidate Dr Anil Dhiman today won the Bhoranj (SC) Assembly seat in Himachal Pradesh by 8,290 votes. He defeated his nearest Congress rival, Promila Devi by 8,290 votes. Dhiman polled 24,453 votes against 16,144 votes polled by Devi while Pawan Chandel, a BJP rebel who contested as an Independent, polled 4,630 votes. The seat fell vacant following the death of BJP stalwart and former minister Ishwar Dass Dhiman, who won the seat six times in a row since 1990 and now his son Dr Anil Dhiman has retained the seat. With this, the strength of the BJP has increased to 28 in the 68-member House.

Vasundhara wins Dholpur for BJP

BJP candidate Shobha Rani Kushwaha was leading by 12,427 votes after five rounds of counting in the Dholpur Assembly bypoll in Rajasthan. Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf said that the people of Dholpur voted for development and the party is going to win the seat. The bypoll was necessitated following disqualification of BSP MLA B L Kushwaha in a murder case and the BJP surprised observers by pitting his wife Shobha Rani as its candidate against Congress veteran Banwari Lal Sharma.

Consolation for Congress in Karnataka

The ruling Congress on Thursday retained the two assembly sets of Nanjangud (SC) and Gundlupet in Karnataka. In the prestigious Nanjangud constituency, ruling party candidate K. Keshavamurthy defeated his nearest rival Srinivasa Prasad of the BJP by a margin of 21,334 votes. In Gundlupet, Mohan Kumari Uruf alias Geetha of the Congress, defeated nearest rival CS Niranjankumar of the BJP by a margin of 10,877 votes. The by-election was held on April 9. Of the 1,56,315 votes polled in Nanjangud, Keshavamurthy secured 86,212 (55 per cent) and Prasad 64,878 (41.5 per cent). In Gundlupet, of the 1,74,955 votes polled, Geetha bagged 90,260 (51.6 per cent) and Niranjankumar 79,383 (45.4 per cent).