New Delhi: As Bihar secured a significant mandate, the simultaneous by-elections across eight assembly seats in seven states yielded mixed results for both national and regional parties.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the BJP bloomed in Nagrota, where Devyani Rana trounced the Panthers Party’s Harsh Dev Singh by 24,647 votes, while the PDP wrested Budgam from the National Conference, with Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi winning by 4,478 votes.
Punjab saw AAP strengthen its grip as Harmeet Singh Sandhu defeated the Shiromani Akali Dal candidate by over 12,000 votes in Tarn Taran. In Odisha, BJP’s Jay Dholakia registered a massive victory in Nuapada, crushing Congress by over 83,000 votes.
Congress scored twin comforts: Pramod Jain captured Rajasthan’s Anta seat, defeating BJP by 15,612 votes, while in Telangana’s Jubilee Hills, Naveen Yadav humbled BRS by a huge 24,729-vote margin.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha retained Ghatshila with Somesh Chandra Soren winning by more than 38,000 votes, and in Mizoram, Mizo National Front’s Dr R Lalthangliana edged out his rival by a narrow 562 votes in Dampa.
The scattered results offered small consolations and setbacks to various parties on a day otherwise dominated by the NDA’s Bihar sweep.