Cong loses Hisar LS seat, 3 Assembly by polls
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India
New Delhi, October 17 2011:
Apart from the severe drubbing in the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency, Congress lost all the three Assembly bypolls, results of which were declared today.
Out of the three Assembly seats, BJP won Khadakwasala in Maharashtra and its NDA ally JD(U) in Daraunda in Bihar while TRS bagged the Banswada seat in Andhra Pradesh.
In the prestigious Hisar Lok Sabha by-election in Haryana, Haryana Janhit Congress-BJP combine nominee Kuldeep Bishnoi won in a closely-fought battle in which Team Anna sought a crushing defeat for the Congress that finished a poor third.
Bishnoi (42), son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal whose death caused the bypoll, retained the seat for the party defeating his nearest rival INLD's Ajay Singh Chautala (50), son of former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala, by a margin of 6,323 votes, out of the over nine lakh votes polled.
Ruling Congress nominee and three-time MP from Hisar Jai Prakash (58), a former Union Minister, finished third.
He had won the seat last in 2004 .
In the Banswada Assembly by-poll in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Rashtra Samiti candidate Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy defeated ruling Congress' Srinivas Goud by a margin of 49,889 votes.
The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of sitting TDP MLA Pocharam in March this year.
He had quit his Assembly membership as well as the Telugu Desam Party on the statehood issue and joined the TRS.
In a setback to ruling Congress-NCP combine in Maharashtra, BJP won the Khadakwasla Assembly bypoll in Pune district.
BJP candidate Bhimrao Tapkir won by 3,625 votes, defeating NCP's Harshada Wanjale, the widow of MNS legislator Ramesh Wanjale whose death had necessitated the bypoll.
Reacting to BJP's victory, ally Shiv Sena's spokesman and MP Sanjay Raut said, "It is not only a defeat of Congress-NCP, but also a defeat of Ajit Pawar" .
RPI leader Ramdas Athawale said the victory was the result of his party's recent alliance with the Shiv Sena-BJP combine.
Dealing a blow to opposition RJD-LJP combine and Congress in Bihar, the ruling JD(U) retained the Daraunda assembly constituency.
JD(U) candidate Kavita Singh defeated her nearest RJD rival Parmeshwar Singh by 20,092 votes.
Kavita, daughter in-law of former MLA late Jagmato Devi, polled 51,754 votes as against 31,662 votes secured by the RJD candidate who was supported by the party's strongmen Md Shahabuddin and Prabhunath Singh, besides LJP.
The by-election was necessitated after the Daraunda assembly seat fell vacant due to the death of the sitting JD(U) MLA Jagmato Devi in June.
Counting of votes for two other assembly seats�Tiruchirappalli West in Tamil Nadu and Indira Nagar in Puducherry�will be held on October 20 .
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