Coming just three months after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Monday’s results in the legislative assembly by-polls held in Bihar, Punjab and Karnataka were a shot in the arm for the ruling party’s primary rival, the Congress, and its allies in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (U).
The BJP was able to win only eight of the 18 seats in the by-polls.
This outcome will boost the sagging morale of Congress workers and supporters, especially in the poll-bound states of Maharashta, Haryana and Jharkhand.
The Bihar results, in particular, came as a welcome relief to what has been termed the grand secular alliance: the combine of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and the Congress. It won six of the ten assembly seats in the state.
The results are expected to encourage the three parties to work together in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls, setting the stage for the long-term consolidation of anti-BJP forces. Nitish Kumar has already publicly declared that he will work towards an alliance with leaders across the nation who will ally against the BJP’s Hindutva politics. Results in the state will only strengthen his hand.
The Congress has been battling a nationwide anti-incumbency wave and is expected to struggle in Maharashtra and Haryana, both states where the party has been in power for multiple terms. In both states dispirited Congress workers had virtually given up the fight even before it got underway, reconciled to the idea of sitting in opposition.
Not quite in trouble
The BJP’s opponents were quick to assert that the ruling party is already in trouble, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity is on the wane, yet these results are hardly conclusive. While they may enthuse Congress workers, they are not expected to significantly impact the final results in Maharashtra, Haryana or Jharkhand. At best, they are a setback for the BJP, and a challenge for new president Amit Shah, who reached the top of his party through his reputed electoral prowess.
Yet the Congress, RJD and JD(U) certainly have reason to celebrate, as their political survival was at stake after near-decimation in the last Lok Sabha polls.
The three members of the so-called secular alliance were waiting for the results today to decide about their future plans. They will almost certainly continue with the alliance now; the conclusion from these results is that Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav have succeeded in consolidating Yadav, Muslim and Mahadalit votes.
Punjab and Karnataka
The Congress will be pleased that it managed to win the Patiala by-poll, as it implies it has successfully reclaimed its position as the alternative to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party won four seats that the Congress was expecting to hold.
The Karnataka by-poll results also proved to be a morale-booster for the Congress, as it bagged two of the three assembly seats here. Three months ago, it was routed in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning nine of the 28 seats.
The Congress was particularly happy about winning the rural Bellary assembly seat, long considered a safe seat for the BJP. The results are expected to stem the growing dissidence in the state unit against Karnakata chief minister Siddaramaiah.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
The BJP was able to win only eight of the 18 seats in the by-polls.
This outcome will boost the sagging morale of Congress workers and supporters, especially in the poll-bound states of Maharashta, Haryana and Jharkhand.
The Bihar results, in particular, came as a welcome relief to what has been termed the grand secular alliance: the combine of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and the Congress. It won six of the ten assembly seats in the state.
The results are expected to encourage the three parties to work together in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls, setting the stage for the long-term consolidation of anti-BJP forces. Nitish Kumar has already publicly declared that he will work towards an alliance with leaders across the nation who will ally against the BJP’s Hindutva politics. Results in the state will only strengthen his hand.
The Congress has been battling a nationwide anti-incumbency wave and is expected to struggle in Maharashtra and Haryana, both states where the party has been in power for multiple terms. In both states dispirited Congress workers had virtually given up the fight even before it got underway, reconciled to the idea of sitting in opposition.
Not quite in trouble
The BJP’s opponents were quick to assert that the ruling party is already in trouble, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity is on the wane, yet these results are hardly conclusive. While they may enthuse Congress workers, they are not expected to significantly impact the final results in Maharashtra, Haryana or Jharkhand. At best, they are a setback for the BJP, and a challenge for new president Amit Shah, who reached the top of his party through his reputed electoral prowess.
Yet the Congress, RJD and JD(U) certainly have reason to celebrate, as their political survival was at stake after near-decimation in the last Lok Sabha polls.
The three members of the so-called secular alliance were waiting for the results today to decide about their future plans. They will almost certainly continue with the alliance now; the conclusion from these results is that Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav have succeeded in consolidating Yadav, Muslim and Mahadalit votes.
Punjab and Karnataka
The Congress will be pleased that it managed to win the Patiala by-poll, as it implies it has successfully reclaimed its position as the alternative to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party won four seats that the Congress was expecting to hold.
The Karnataka by-poll results also proved to be a morale-booster for the Congress, as it bagged two of the three assembly seats here. Three months ago, it was routed in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning nine of the 28 seats.
The Congress was particularly happy about winning the rural Bellary assembly seat, long considered a safe seat for the BJP. The results are expected to stem the growing dissidence in the state unit against Karnakata chief minister Siddaramaiah.