BJP sweeps Madhya Pradesh bypolls, wins 19 out of 28 seats to save government

Bhopal: BJP has registered a landslide victory in the assembly by-elections in Madhya Pradesh results of which were declared on Tuesday by winning 19 out 28 seats that went to by-polls on November 3. The Opposition Congress has won 9 seats.

Three out of 12 ministers in the Shivraj government who contested the by-elections lost. The three ministers who lost the elections are Giriraj Dandotia, Andel Singh Kansana and Imarti Devi whom former chief minister Kamal Nath referred to as ‘item’ inviting criticism from all quarters.

The state ministers who won the polls are Bisahulal Singh, Prabhuram Choudhury, Pradyumna Singh Tomar, Govind Singh Rajput, Tulsi Silawat, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Rajvardhan Singh, Suresh Dhakad, Hardeep Singh Dang and O P S Bhadouria.

Interestingly, 7 out of 25 former Congress MLAs who were given tickets by BJP in the by-elections lost the polls.

In Gwalior-Chambal region, said to be the stronghold of senior BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, BJP won 10 seats and lost in 6 seats.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailed the massive win by his party in the by-elections saying “People have given us the opportunity to work for the development of the state”.

Congress veteran and former chief minister Kamal Nath said he respected the people’s mandate asking Congress to sit in Opposition.

He congratulated the chief minister for BJP’s handsome win the by-elections and hoped that the Shivraj government would work for development of women, farmers and other sections of people in the state.

The strength of ruling BJP in 230-member MP assembly is poised to go up from 107 to 126 following the outcome of the assembly by-elections, while the strength of Congress is set to increase from 87 to 96.

The by-elections necessitated the resignation of 25 Congress MLAs and demise of 3 sitting legislators.