At Mandi, the Congress’s Pratibha Singh defeated the BJP’s Brigadier Khushal Chand Thakur by 7,490 votes

New Delhi:

The Congress wrested the Mandi Lok Sabha seat from the BJP and the Shiv Sena recorded its first major win outside Maharashtra by winning in Dadra and Nagar Haveli in the October 30 bypolls results of which were declared today.

The BJP looks set to retain Khandwa parliamentary seat in Madhya Pradesh, where it is leading by over 80,000 votes. 

At Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress’s candidate Pratibha Singh defeated the BJP’s Brigadier Khushal Chand Thakur (retired) by a margin of 7,490 votes. The seat was earlier held by the BJP’s Ram Swaroop Sharma, who was found dead at his Delhi residence earlier this year.

Ms Singh, a former MP and wife of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, thanked the people for her victory.

मंडी हम सब की है, हम सब की थी,

हम सब की रहेगी।

धन्यवाद मंडी ????

— Pratibha Virbhadra Singh (@virbhadrasingh) November 2, 2021

A sympathy wave following the death of Mr Singh this July is being seen as one of the key factors behind the Congress’s win in Mandi.

The Congress also swept the three Himachal Assembly seats where bypolls were held last week.

Responding to the ruling party’s rout in the bypolls, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said he accepts the results and that the party will learn from these defeats.

In Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Shiv Sena’s Kalaben Delkar defeated the BJP’s Gavit Maheshbhai by 51,269 votes. The winning candidate is the wife of Independent MP Mohanjibhai Sanjibhai Delkar, whose death by suicide earlier this year vacated the seat. Before he was found dead at a Mumbai hotel, the seven-time MP had alleged harassment by the Union Territory administration.

First step outside Maharashtra, giant leap towards Delhi via Dadra Nagar Haveli ! #ChaloDelhipic.twitter.com/8sbqBgSbna

— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) November 2, 2021

Shiv Sena MP and senior leader Sanjay Raut termed today’s victory the party’s “first step outside Maharashtra, giant leap towards Delhi”.

At Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa, the BJP’s Gyaneshwar Patil appears to be inching closer to victory as Congress’s Rajnarayan Singh Purni trails by over 82,000 votes.