NEW DELHI: Facing an electoral decline, the Congress on Thursday had some reason to cheer as it won three Assembly byelections wresting one seat each from the TMC and BJP in West Bengal and Maharashtra, respectively, and retaining the Erode segment in Tamil Nadu with the backing of the ruling DMK.
In West Bengal, the Congress opened its account in the state Assembly with its candidate Bayron Biswas defeating the Trinamool Congress rival in minority-dominated Sagardighi segment. Biswas won by a margin of 22,986 votes.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged an unholy alliance among the Congress, CPM and BJP in the segment.
Riled, Mamata also declared that she would go it alone in the 2024 polls.
The segment falls in Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s Murshidabad parliamentary constituency and was seen as a battle of prestige with Mamata.
In Maharashtra, the BJP retained Chinchwad in Pune, but lost Kasba Peth to Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar.
In Jharkhand, BJP ally All Jharkhand Students Union candidate Sunita Choudhary won the bypoll in Ramgarh, defeating UPA candidate Congress’ Bajrang Mahto of the Congress by over 21,970 votes.
AJSU candidate secured 1,15,669 votes, while Congress nominee got 93,699.
Ramgarh byelection was necessitated after the disqualification of sitting Congress MLA Mamta Devi over conviction in a criminal case.
In Arunachal’s Lumla, BJP candidate Mayralborn Syiem was declared elected unopposed. The segment falls in Tawang, the site of recent Chinese transgression along the LAC.