BJP wrests key UP seats from SP in LS bypoll

Blow for AAP as pro-Khalistan leader wins Sangrur in Punjab; Tripura CM gets elected

NEW DELHI: The BJP wrested two prestigious seats from the SP in Uttar Pradesh while Punjab sent a pro-Khalistan leader to Parliament, dealing a stunning blow to the ruling AAP, as results of the Lok Sabha by-polls came in on Sunday.

Tripura Congress leader Birajit
Sinha being treated for injuries
sustained during clashes

In the bypolls to seven Assembly seats in four states, the BJP won three on four in Tripura, while the ruling YSRC retained a seat in Andhra Pradesh, AAP in Delhi and Congress in Jharkhand. There were allegations of BJP goons indulging in violence after it lost the Agartala seat in Tripura to the Congress, with at least 19 people, including Tripura Congress chief Birajit Sinha, suffering injuries.

In Uttar Pradesh’s BJP’s Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ won from Azamgarh while Ghanshayam Singh Lodhi snatched the Rampur seat defeating SP’s Dharmendra Yadav and Asim Raja respectively by margins of 8,679 and 42,192 votes. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and SP leader Azam Khan had vacated their Azamgarh and Rampur seats respectively, hence the bypoll.

In Punjab, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party suffered a severe blow as Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann won in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, which is the bastion of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Simranjit Singh Mann defeated AAP’s Gurmail Singh in a neck-and-neck fight.

However, Delhi did not disappoint the AAP as its candidate Durgesh Pathak comfortably retained the Rajendra Nagar Assembly seat by 11,000 votes. In Tripura, BJP Chief Minister Manik Saha won in Town Bardowali constituency, defeating Congress candidate Ashish Kumar by 6,104 votes. He needed a win to continue as the CM.

The party defeated CPI(M) in its stronghold Jubarajnagar 4,572 votes. The saffron camp retained Surma while Congress wrested away its Agartala seat. In Andhra, YSRC retained Atmakur assembly constituency with its candidate Mekapati Vikram Reddy defeating BJP rival by 82,888 votes. Congress candidate Shilpi Neha Tirkey won Jharkhand’s Mandar seat.

LOK SABHA

Uttar Pradesh
Rampur: BJP wrests from SP
Azamgarh: BJP wrests from SP

Punjab
Sangrur:SAD (Amritsar) wrests from AAP

STATE ASSEMBLIES
Tripura: Jubarajnagar: BJP wrests from CPM Surma: BJP retains Town Bardowali: BJP retains
Agartala: Cong wrests from BJP

Delhi
Rajinder Nagar: AAP retains

Jharkhand
Mandar: Cong retains

Andhra Pradesh
Atmakuru:YSRC retains