INDIA Bloc Dominates Bypoll, Wins 10 Out Of 13 Assembly Seats; BJP Gets Only 2

Digital Desk: The INDIA bloc comprising Opposition parties that gave a tough challenge to the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha elections, has emerged victorious in the by-elections for 13 Assembly seats across seven states. The INDIA bloc secured triumph in 10 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party, despite returning for an unprecedented third term following the Lok Sabha polls, managed to win only two seats.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), AAP, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are the constituent parties of the INDIA bloc that fielded candidates in the bypolls conducted on Wednesday in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu.

In Punjab, AAP's Mohinder Bhagat secured victory in the Jalandhar West constituency with a margin exceeding 23,000 votes. In West Bengal, all four seats contested were won by Trinamool Congress candidates. Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, won her electoral debut in the Dehra constituency. The Congress also claimed victory in the Nalagarh seat in Himachal Pradesh, while BJP's Ashish Sharma emerged triumphant in Hamirpur.

In West Bengal, TMC secured victories in all four seats, defeating BJP candidates by significant margins. In Tamil Nadu, DMK's Anniyur Siva clinched the Vikravandi assembly seat with a lead of nearly 60,000 votes. In Uttarakhand, Congress candidates emerged victorious in both the Badrinath and Manglaur constituencies. Meanwhile, BJP's Kamlesh Pratap Shahi won the Amarwar seat in Madhya Pradesh.

Vote counting for these 13 legislative assembly seats across seven states commenced on Saturday morning, following Wednesday's polling in Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. These by-elections marked the first electoral test since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where BJP secured 240 seats, falling short of the majority by 32 seats. However, the NDA alliance surpassed the halfway mark with a total of 293 seats. The Congress-led INDIA bloc secured 232 seats in total.