In Madhya Pradesh, BJP’s victory margin in Shahdol Lok Sabha came down to 60,000 from 2,41,301 in the 2014 general elections. It bagged the Nepanagar Assembly seat, where it increased its winning margin to 42,198 votes as against 22,178.
In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, whose supremo Jayalalithaa is hospitalised for two months, retained Thanjavur and Thirupparankundram Assembly seats and wrested Aravakkurichi
seat from DMK by margins ranging from 20,000 votes to 42,000.
The ruling CPI(M) in Tripura wrested Barjala (SC) seat from Congress and retained Khowai.
Senior Congress leader and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy won the bypoll to Nellithope Assembly seat defeating AIADMK’s Om Sakthi Segar by a margin of 11,144
votes.
North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) candidate Dasanglu Pul of BJP won Hayuliang assembly by-poll in Arunachal Pradesh defeating her lone rival Yompi Kri, an independent
candidate, by 942 votes.
Pul is the youngest of the three wives of former chief minister Kalikho Pul. The bypoll was necessitated by his suicide.
Union Minister Ananth Kumar and Sonowal said the BJP’s win in the bypolls showed that people have endorsed the government’s decision against black money and corruption.
“BJP’s victory in by-polls is a clear indication that people are fully supporting the decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. It is people’s mandate for the Prime Minister’s decision of demonetisation,” Sonowal told reporters.
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, however, termed the byelection result as a mandate against the Centre’s decision of demonetisation.
“The by-election result is a befitting reply against the anti-people demonetisation by the Centre. It’s a people’s revolt, rather a mass revolt against the Centre. BJP should take lessons from this mandate,” she told newsmen in Kolkata before leaving for New Delhi to join the protest by the Opposition.
TMC candidate Dibyendu Adhikari won Tamluk Lok Sabha seat by defeating his nearest CPI(M) rival Mandira Panda by 4.97 lakh votes.
The party won the Coochbehar LS seat with its candidate Parthapratim Roy drubbing his nearest rival BJP’s Hemchandra Burman by a margin of 4.9 lakh votes and pushed Forward Bloc, a LF partner to the third position.
Roy increased the party’s victory margin from 38,000 in 2014 to 4.9 lakh.
