BJP dominates by-polls across 15 diverse states

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies emerged victorious in by-elections across 15 states,  securing 28 of the 48 Assembly seats contested. Among the most significant results were those from Uttar Pradesh, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s slogan “Bantenge Toh Katenge” (Division leads to defeat) delivered a decisive 7-2 victory over the Samajwadi Party (SP), dealing a blow to Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA (Pichchra, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) caste-based alliance.

The by-polls, held shortly after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, were viewed as a crucial test of political strategies ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls in UP. The BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh reinforced the party’s recovery after its diminished performance in the general elections, where the NDA won only 36 of the state’s 80 parliamentary seats, a significant drop from 66 in 2019. For Adityanath, the by-elections were a matter of prestige, and the results showcased his ability to consolidate voter support across caste and community lines.

The BJP’s triumph in the Muslim-dominated Kundarki constituency in Moradabad was particularly striking. Despite the constituency’s 65 per cent Muslim voter base, BJP candidate Ramveer Singh defeated SP’s Mohammad Rizwan by over 96,000 votes. The SP retained its strongholds of Karhal and Sisamau, constituencies it has held for over three decades, but struggled to expand beyond these bastions.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath celebrated the victory, attributing it to the BJP’s governance, welfare policies, and strategic outreach. “The BJP-NDA’s success is a testament to the people’s faith in the double-engine government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. I thank the voters for their unwavering support,” he said.

In other states, Congress made notable gains in Karnataka, sweeping all three seats, including the high-profile Channapatna constituency. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar hailed the results as a reflection of public trust in the Congress government.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress solidified its dominance in West Bengal, winning all six contested seats, including the BJP stronghold of Madarihat.

Congress candidate Gulabsinh Rajput defeated BJP’s Swarupji Thakor in the by-elections to the Vav Assembly seat in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.

In Bihar, the ruling NDA retained its grip on four constituencies, with the JD(U) winning key seats and dealing a setback to the INDIA bloc. The BJP also retained two Assembly seats in Assam and gained leads in three other constituencies. In Rajasthan, BJP won 5 out of seven seats with Anil Kumar Katara securing the Chorasi Assembly seat by a margin of 24,370 votes.

In a high-stake battle, the BJP was successful in winning the by-poll for the Kedarnath Assembly seat. BJP nominee Asha Nautiyal, who got 23,814 votes, defeated Manoj Rawat of the Congress by a margin of 5622 votes.

However, in a setback for the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat lost the Vijaypur Assembly bypoll to Congress candidate Mukesh Malhotra by a margin of 7,364 votes. Rawat, a six-time MLA from Vijaypur in Sheopur district, had won the seat in 2023 as a Congress candidate before defecting to the BJP, which appointed him as a minister in Mohan Yadav’s government.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won three seats in Punjab, Chabbewal, Gidderbaha, and Dera Baba Nanak, while Congress won the Barnala constituency. In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party (NPP) secured the Gambegre seat with a victory by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s wife, Mehtab Chandee Agitok Sangma. In Sikkim, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) clinched both the Soreng Chakung and Namchi-Singhithang seats.

The by-elections underscored shifting political dynamics across states, with the BJP regaining momentum in Uttar Pradesh, Congress consolidating its hold in Karnataka, and regional parties like TMC and NPP solidifying their dominance. The results set the stage for intense political battles ahead, particularly in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where the BJP and SP are likely to go head-to-head once again.