The counting of votes for recent bypolls, covering 48 assembly seats across 14 states, including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, has seen the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance make significant gains.

West Bengal

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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) emerged victorious in the West Bengal bypolls, retaining five out of six contested seats and securing a significant win in Madarihat, a constituency previously held by the BJP. This victory reinforces the TMC’s political stronghold in the state, despite ongoing protests over the RG Kar incident failing to sway voter sentiment.

The bypolls were conducted in six constituencies -- Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST)—following the resignation of MLAs who vacated their assembly seats after winning in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Rajasthan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a dominant victory in the Rajasthan Assembly bypolls, winning five out of the seven contested seats, according to results announced on Saturday. The Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) claimed one seat, while the Congress was poised to win one, as per the Election Commission (EC).

BJP's victorious candidates included:

* Rajendra Bhamboo in Jhunjhunu,
* Rajendra Gurjar in Deoli-Uniara,
* Rewant Ram Danga in Khinwsar,
* Shanta Amrit Lal Meena in Salumbar, and
* Sukhavant Singh in Ramgarh.

Chhattisgarh

BJP candidate Sunil Kumar Soni has emerged victorious in the Raipur City South assembly bypoll, defeating Congress’ Akash Sharma by a margin of 46,167 votes. Soni secured 89,220 votes, while Sharma garnered 43,053, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated Soni and credited the win to the voters' endorsement of the BJP government’s work over the past 11 months. “This victory is a stamp of approval for our governance,” he said.

The bypoll, held on November 13 in Raipur district, witnessed a voter turnout of 50.5%.

With this win, the BJP maintains its majority in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly with 54 seats, while the Congress holds 35 seats, and the Gondwana Gantantra Party has one MLA.

Gujarat

The Congress lost its bastion in the Vav Assembly seat during the bypoll, with the result decided in a nail-biting finish. Congress candidate Gulabsinh Rajput was defeated by BJP’s Swarupji Thakor by just over 2,400 votes, marking the lowest-ever margin for the seat. Thakor trailed Rajput for most of the counting process before pulling ahead to secure the victory.

The bypoll in Vav, Gujarat’s sole Assembly contest, was held after sitting Congress MLA Geniben Thakor was elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year from Banaskantha, of which Vav is an Assembly segment. Geniben, Congress’s lone Lok Sabha MP from Gujarat, had previously defeated Swarupji Thakor in the 2022 Assembly elections by a margin of 15,601 votes.

Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil celebrated the win, thanking voters for what he called a “grand victory” in both the Vav bypoll and the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Karnataka

The Congress secured a clean sweep in the Karnataka Assembly bypolls on Saturday, winning all three contested seats -- Shiggaon, Sandur, and Channapatna -- and defeating candidates from the BJP and JD(S), including the sons of former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and HD Kumaraswamy.

In Shiggaon, Congress’s Pathan Yasir Ahmed Khan defeated BJP’s Bharat Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai, by a margin of 13,448 votes.

In Channapatna, Congress candidate CP Yogeeswara secured a decisive victory over JD(S)’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, with a margin of 25,413 votes.

In Sandur, Congress candidate E Annapoorna, wife of Ballari MP E Tukaram, won by 9,649 votes against BJP’s Bangara Hanumantha.

Madhya Pradesh

In a dramatic turn of events, Congress candidate Mukesh Malhotra, a former BJP member, secured a stunning victory in the Vijaypur bypoll on Saturday, defeating sitting BJP Cabinet minister and prominent OBC leader Ram Niwas Rawat. Malhotra won by a margin of 7,364 votes, dealing a significant blow to the BJP in the Chambal region.

Rawat, a six-time MLA, had switched from the Congress to the BJP in April 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, citing dissatisfaction with the Congress’s decision to field Satyapal Singh Sikravar (Neetu) for the Morena Lok Sabha seat. His defection had shaken the Congress, which was already grappling with internal factionalism and uncertainty about former Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s political strategy.

As a reward for his defection, Rawat was appointed as the Forest Minister in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s Cabinet. 

Meghalaya

The National People’s Party (NPP) clinched victory in the Gambegre Assembly by-election, toppling the Congress from its stronghold. NPP candidate Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma won by a margin of 4,594 votes, defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Sadhiarani M. Sangma.

Mehtab Chandee secured 12,678 votes, while Sadhiarani M. Sangma garnered 8,084 votes, a slight decline from the 8,381 votes she received in the 2023 Assembly elections when she contested against Congress’ Saleng Sangma.

Expressing her gratitude to voters, Chandee said, "I am very happy with the win. It was the people who fought this election on my behalf, and I will leave no stone unturned for the development of the Gambegre Assembly constituency."

Assam

The BJP and its allies retained two assembly seats and maintained a lead in three other constituencies in Assam, following the bypolls held on November 13. The BJP and its ally United Peoples' Party Liberal (UPPL) secured victories in the Sidli and Behali assembly seats.

In Sidli (ST), UPPL candidate Nirmal Kumar Brahma defeated Shuddho Kumar Basumatary of the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) by a margin of 37,016 votes. Brahma garnered 95,243 votes, while Basumatary secured 58,227 votes. Congress candidate Sanjib Warie finished a distant third with 7,634 votes.

In Behali, BJP's Diganta Ghatowal retained the seat, polling 50,947 votes to defeat Congress’ Jayanta Borah, who received 41,896 votes.

The NDA allies also led in the remaining three constituencies:

* Nihar Ranjan Das (BJP) in Dholai (SC)
* Diplu Ranjan Sarmah (BJP) in Samaguri
* Diptimayee Choudhury (AGP) in Bongaigaon

Punjab

The Congress suffered a significant blow in Punjab as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured victory in three out of four constituencies in the Punjab Assembly bypolls. The Congress managed to win only the Barnala seat, while AAP claimed wins in Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, and Gidderbaha.

In Dera Baba Nanak, Congress’ Jatinder Kaur, wife of MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, was defeated by AAP’s Gurdeep Singh Randhawa by over 5,000 votes. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had represented the seat multiple times since 2002, but the Congress failed to retain it.

In Gidderbaha, Amrita Warring, wife of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, lost to AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon by a margin of over 21,000 votes.

In Chabbewal, AAP's Dr. Ishank Kumar delivered another significant win, defeating Congress’ Ranjit Kumar by a margin of over 28,000 votes.

The Congress managed to salvage a narrow victory in Barnala, where candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhillon edged out AAP’s Harinder Singh Dhaliwal by just 2,000 votes.

Rajasthan

The BJP delivered an impressive performance in the Rajasthan Assembly bypolls, winning five out of seven constituencies contested. The Congress, which previously held four of these seats, managed to retain only Dausa, while the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) suffered a significant setback, losing its stronghold in Khinwsar for the first time since its inception in 2008. The Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) successfully retained the Chorasi seat.

Despite being the main opposition party, the Congress finished third in four constituencies, marking a disappointing outcome. In contrast, the BJP, which had seen its Lok Sabha tally in the state drop from 24 to 14 in recent elections, appeared to benefit from resolving internal rebellions within the party, running a more aggressive campaign compared to the Congress and leveraging its position as the ruling party in the state.

Sikkim

Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) candidates Aditya Golay and Satish Chandra Rai were elected unopposed on Saturday, November 23, 2024, in the bypolls for the Soreng-Chakung and Namchi-Singhithang assembly constituencies.

Uttarakhand

The BJP retained the Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand on Saturday, with its candidate and state Mahila Morcha president Asha Nautiyal defeating Congress' Manoj Rawat by a margin of 5,622 votes. Nautiyal, who took an early lead and maintained it throughout the counting process, secured her third victory from Kedarnath, having previously won in 2002 and 2007. She polled 23,814 votes, while Manoj Rawat garnered 18,192 votes. Independent candidate Tribhuvan Singh finished third with 9,311 votes, according to the Election Commission. This marks the second consecutive defeat for the Congress in Kedarnath. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Manoj Rawat finished third behind BJP's Shaila Rani Rawat and Independent candidate Kuldeep Singh Rawat.

Uttar Pradesh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed victory in five out of nine Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls held this week and was leading in a sixth, reaffirming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's dominance in the state, a crucial stronghold for the party's Hindi-speaking voter base.

As of 6:45 PM, the BJP had secured wins in Ghaziabad, Khair, Majhawan, Katehari, and Phulpur, and was leading in Kundarki. Its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), also claimed victory in Meerapur.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), which had outperformed the BJP in the April-June federal elections by winning 42 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats, secured victories in Karhal and Sishamau, reflecting a competitive opposition presence.

Kerala

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala is celebrating a resounding political boost, highlighted by Priyanka Gandhi's thumping victory in Wayanad and Rahul Mamkootathil's unexpected triumph in the Palakkad Assembly bypoll, securing a comfortable margin far beyond expectations.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) managed to hold on to its stronghold in Chelakkara, with CPI(M)’s U R Pradeep retaining the seat. However, a significant drop in vote share, from 54.41% in 2021 to 41.44%, signals a growing concern for the coalition. In Palakkad, LDF's move to field Congress rebel Dr. P Sarin slightly improved their vote share, but the coalition still finished in third place.

The BJP, which had high hopes of securing a victory in Palakkad, faced a significant setback as its candidate C Krishnakumar lost to UDF's Rahul Mamkootathil by a margin of 18,840 votes, marking a major embarrassment for the saffron party. READ MORE HERE