Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – In a significant development that has injected fresh vigor into the Opposition bloc’s aspirations for the upcoming general election, members of the Opposition secured victories in four out of seven bypolls conducted across six states on Friday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious on three seats, but the results indicate a growing resurgence of Opposition strength.
The Bypolls were conducted in various constituencies, and the outcomes are being closely watched as a barometer of the political landscape leading up to the general election next year. The BJP retained control of the Bageshwar, Dhupguri, and Dhanpur seats, while the Opposition parties claimed victories in the Ghosi seat (Samajwadi Party), Boxanagar (Communist Party of India – Marxist), Dumri (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha – JMM), and Puthuppally (Indian National Congress).
The victory in Ghosi, previously held by the Samajwadi Party, underscores the party’s resilience and its ability to retain crucial constituencies.
The Samajwadi Party has much to celebrate on Friday. It retained its Ghosi Assembly seat in a direct fight with Dara Singh Chauhan of the BJP in the by-election.
The SP victory is significant since these by polls were positioned as a first face-off between the NDA and the INDIA.
Chauhan, a former minister from the BJP, had joined SP on the eve of Assembly polls in 2022 and had won back his Ghosi seat. He then quit SP in July this year and rejoined the BJP, confident of winning back his seat in the by elections.
The BJP was apparently over confident of Chauhan’s victory even though its entire leadership, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, campaigned vigorously in the by elections.
However, SP candidate Sudhakar Singh established a lead from the third round and the margin kept increasing with every round of counting. The campaign projected the by-election as a trailer of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
BJP’s ally, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Om Prakash Rajbhar had claimed that he would send the Yadav clan packing back to Etawah after this bypoll. However, it was Chauhan’s image as a “unreliable turncoat” that went against him and the voters opted for Sudhakar Singh who won his second election this time.
SP leader Shivpal Singh congratulated his party workers for the victory in Ghosi and said, “This is the beginning of the end for the BJP.”
Similarly, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) secured the Boxanagar seat, highlighting its presence in certain regions.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) claimed the Dumri seat, showcasing its growing influence in the state. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress won the Puthuppally seat, strengthening its position in the region.
These bypoll results have ignited discussions about the political landscape and potential alliances leading up to the general election. It is expected that the Opposition bloc will draw inspiration from these wins to galvanize their campaigns in the coming months.
As the nation gears up for the critical general election in 2024, these bypoll results have set the stage for a closely contested battle, with both the ruling BJP and the Opposition parties vying for voter support and dominance on the national stage.
