The results of the by-elections to four Assembly constituencies in the four corners of the country, save the one in Kerala, display a pattern of winners retaining their seats. However, the UDF’s win in Nilambur in Kerala and the AAP’s in Gujarat’s Visavadar seat stand out as they cause some jubilation in the winners’ camp for different reasons.
The win in Nilambur must boost the morale of the Opposition UDF ahead of next year’s Assembly election. The seat has been a UDF bastion for the last five decades, and the LDF was able to make some dent only when it had a defector from the Congress camp joining it.
The bypoll was necessitated when the two-time Independent MLA, a former Congressman who was propped up by the LDF, cut ties with the ruling front and resigned. The MLA quit and joined the Trinamul Congress, and contested again. In the three-way contest, the UDF wrested the seat back from the LDF, with the TMC candidate walking away with more than 15 per cent votes. The UDF is sure to bank on the strength of its united campaign, while the LDF has to scout new methods to convince the people to give its candidates a third term, notwithstanding the impressive strides made by the state in the last nine years.
The AAP win in Gujarat has an added sweetness to it, for the bypoll was necessitated when its sitting MLA resigned and joined the BJP.
That the party was able to retain its ground in a state where it has only started to make its presence felt does tell a story. The AAP had also needed a morale booster after its debacle in Delhi, and the bypoll wins in Gujarat and in Ludhiana, West Punjab, have provided just that. The TMC win in Kaliganj in West Bengal with the highest margin so far is another statement that the party continues to be in a formidable position despite challenges posed by the BJP.
