Byelection Results: Two Defeats, Many Challenges; What Lessons Can BJP Learn From Bypoll Losses

Bypoll Results: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has faced setback for the second consecutive week. While last week it saw the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following massive protests against the paper leak, this week began with defeats in two assembly by-elections.

The BJP lost the Bankipur seat in Bihar, which was vacated by party president Nitin Nabin's resignation, and the Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP is in power.

Win In Gujarat, Loss In Madhya Pradesh And Bihar

Traditionally, ruling parties win by-elections, as happened in the Manjalpur assembly seat in Gujarat. The BJP won this seat by a large margin. Going by this, the defeats in Bankipur and Datia are big blow to the party. The debacle in Bankipur is even more painful; in the last election, the BJP won this seat by a margin of over 50,000 votes.

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BJP To Analyze Reasons For Defeat

BJP leaders said they will analyse the bypoll results. A booth-wise analysis will be conducted to find the root cause of the defeat at the hand of Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor. The election strategist-turned-politician won the seat, opening the account for his party in the state assembly.

RJD's Votes Transfered To Prashant Kishor

The BJP's initial assessment suggests that the RJD transferred its votes to PK. The RJD leader, Tejashwi Yadav, campaigned for his party's candidate Rekha Gupta only an hour. The BJP has now alleged collusion between the RJD and the JSP.

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According to a leader, while the RJD maintained its core vote bank during the assembly elections, its strategy also included indirect promoting PK to make inroads into the BJP’s upper-caste (savarna) vote bank. In the previous election, RJD's Gupta had received more than 46,000 votes, but this time she could not even manage 15,000 votes.

BJP's Bote Share Drops By Nearly A Third

The BJP's vote share has dropped by nearly a third. The BJP leaders acknowledged that some of the party's core vote bank has drifted away, and this will be reviewed. They also stated that targeting the Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary as Prashant Kishor is doing, is a step in the wrong direction.

Sources said the decision to change the candidate hurt the BJP most. It sends the message that the saffrno party takes its voters lightly.

Paper Leak, UGC, And Bharat Tiwari Encounter Issues Have Had An Impact

The party had entrusted local leaders with campaigning in the constituency. National president Nitin Nabin visited his home seat four times. However, BJP leaders do not deny that their core voters are upset with issues like the NEET paper leak, UGC guidelines, and the Bharat Tiwari encounter. This impact was also reflected in the low voter turnout. Student protests and police action in various parts of Bihar also affected the party's prospects.

BJP's Defeat In Datia

The defeat in Datia could increase the difficulties of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who is facing criticism from a faction within his own party. However, the blame for the defeat may fall on former state minister Narottam Mishra, a three-time winner from the seat, as he publicly expressed his displeasure at not receiving a ticket. His supporters resorted to widespread violence, though he later campaigned at the party's behest. Today, the party also lost at Mishra's local polling booth.

The BJP leaders said the contest in Datia was tough. The party had also lost the seat in the previous assembly elections, despite a strong BJP wave across the state. The BJP leaders do not deny that delay in candidate selection, whether in Bankipur or Datia, played a role in the defeat.

Although the BJP is hesitant to blame the youth's anger and protests for its defeat in the by-elections, the party will certainly introspect after these results. Party leaders said they must be prepared to address fundamental issues. Major changes may be expected in both the government and the party organization in the near future.

BJP Wins Major Victory in Gujarat

The Bharatiya Janata Party has achieved a major victory in the by-election held in the Manjalpur constituency of Gujarat. BJP candidate Satendra Patel won by a margin of 30,630 votes. He received 55,481 votes, while Congress's Bhikhabhai Rabari got 24,851 votes.
(With Jagran.com Inputs)