BJP defeat: Bittu takes blame
Ludhiana: Union minister of state for railways and food processing Ravneet Singh Bittu on Monday took responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Ludhiana West byelection, even as he praised party candidate Jiwan Gupta for putting on a strong fight and securing over 20,000 votes.
Bittu congratulated
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora on his victory and expressed hope that he would deliver on promises made to the people of the constituency Bittu admitted to the delay in finalising a BJP candidate being a key factor for the party's loss. "The announcement of Jiwan Gupta's ticket was delayed as the party leadership was engaged with the Operation Sindhoor campaign. This hampered our campaign planning and visibility," he said.
Bittu also pointed out that the low voter turnout of just 51.3% reflected lack of public interest in the election, particularly towards the ruling party. "Out of nearly 90,000 votes cast, the AAP candidate managed only around 35,000 votes. This clearly indicates that anti-AAP sentiment in the constituency is much stronger than the mandate they received," he said.
Calling the BJP's performance "encouraging", Bittu said the byelection result should not be viewed as a setback. "This is not a defeat for the BJP. The people gave AAP a chance only because their govt still has around two years remaining. In the 2027 assembly elections, we are confident of winning this seat with a significant margin," he said.
Bittu urged BJP workers not to be disheartened and continue their efforts on the ground. "We will get another opportunity in 2027, and we will come back stronger," Bittu said. MSID:: 122025192 413 |
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat districts to mark 50 years of Emergency; Cong slams govt, says ‘escaping its own failures'
In line with a directive of the Union government, district-level seminars and exhibitions, showcasing the 'dark chapter' of India's democracy will be held across Gujarat on June 25 to mark 50 years of the imposition of Emergency in the country. Officials of the Gujarat government told The Indian Express that the preparations for the programmes were made at the district level in meetings chaired by the respective District Collectors with the elected representatives of the district as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) units in the respective districts. A senior government official said, 'The meetings to organise the events on June 25 were held on June 19, after a letter was received from the Union Culture Ministry stating that the day should be observed in remembrance of the 'murder of democracy' and to encourage the younger generation to reflect on the democratic values and the importance of the constitution… while the events will be held on June 25, the entire year will be observed as a 'black dot' on democracy.' As part of the programmes, the Narmada district administration has planned a district-level event at Ekta auditorium in the backdrop of the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar. A senior BJP leader said, 'At the party level, the Yuva Morcha of the party will organise rallies and discussions with the youth to convey how the Congress had attacked democracy by imposing emergency… apart from this, exhibitions, street plays and rallies will also be planned throughout the year as part of the outreach for youngsters…' Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi said that the BJP has been organising the events as it has been 'unable to account for its failures'. Doshi said, 'The BJP is organising events to mark Emergency when it has not been able to account for its own failures in the last 11 years'. 'Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP has imposed an Emergency within its own party, sidelining veteran leaders… They have left no chance to demean the Constitution, which provides for rights to the downtrodden and women. They must explain why the atrocities against Dalits are on a rise and why women are becoming victims of crime so often. These programmes organised by the BJP are a cover for them to escape their own shortcomings and escape from explaining their failures,' Doshi added.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Nilambur bypoll: Anvar reasserts political relevance with strong showing
Kozhikode: Former MLA PV Anvar, who surprised both the leading fronts by securing 19,760 votes (11.23%), has reasserted his political relevance in Nilambur, though he had to be content with the third spot. Anvar, whose resignation as MLA after a public fallout with CPM necessitated the byelection, made inroads into the vote banks of both the fronts. Anvar gave a jolt to the UDF by securing over 5,539 votes when the first four rounds of counting were completed when the margin between the candidates of two fronts was just 2,286 votes. The significant number of votes secured by Anvar in the UDF strongholds of Vazhikkadavu and Moothedam — from where the UDF hoped to secure early leads — caused concern in the Congress-led front. However, UDF was able to gain some momentum in the subsequent rounds. Anvar's campaign also managed to tap into the anti-incumbency sentiment, drawing votes from both the UDF and LDF bases. Notably, in several Left-dominated panchayats where CPM candidate M Swaraj underperformed, Anvar secured sizeable support. The issues he had championed — ranging from human-wildlife conflict and police accountability to corruption allegations against the CMO — seemingly struck a chord with many voters. He directed his attacks at both the ruling front and against UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath enabling him to secure both the anti- incumbency votes as well as the anti-Shoukath votes from the UDF. After the results, Anvar told reporters that even the workers and supporters of CPM had abandoned the party. According to Anvar, the votes he and Shoukath received were both expressions of opposition among the voters towards 'Pinarayism'. Anvar also dropped hints that he was open to align with UDF if he is provided entry to the front and declared that he was ready to make any sacrifice to defeat 'Pinarayism'. Anvar also said that he was open to contest the Beypore seat held by PWD minister PA Mohamed Riyas, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's son-in-law. With local body elections on the horizon, Anvar is expected to continue his efforts to gain formal entry into the UDF. His performance in Nilambur is likely to win him supporters within the front.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
43 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Assembly bypolls: AAP bags two seats in Delhi, Congress wins in Kerala
Results of the five Assembly bypolls across four states brought some cheer to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after its loss in the Delhi Assembly polls earlier this year. The AAP managed to retain Gujarat's Visavadar and Punjab's Ludhiana West seat. In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) wrested Nilambur from the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). The Nilambur Assembly seat is one of the seven in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency represented by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Vadra had campaigned widely for Congress' winning candidate Aryadan Shoukath. The Congress has projected the Nilambur win as evidence of the growing anti-incumbency against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in the run up to next year's Assembly polls in April 2026. The win is also a morale booster for the Congress' new state unit leadership. In Gujarat, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained the Kadi Scheduled Caste reserved seat. In the Visavadar seat, in Junagadh district, AAP's Gopal Italia, former president of the party's Gujarat unit, defeated BJP's Kirit Patel, by a margin of 17,554 votes. The BJP has not won the Visavadar seat since 2007. The seat fell vacant in December 2023 after the then AAP legislator Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the ruling BJP. Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil resigned from his post, taking moral responsibility for the defeat of the party's candidates in Kadi and Visavadar constituencies. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) maintained its hold on the Kaliganj Assembly seat in Nadia district. The Kaliganj seat falls in Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency, which TMC's Mahua Moitra represents. The bypolls in the five constituencies were held on June 19. AAP sources did not rule out the possibility that a senior party leader, including someone who lost the Delhi Assembly polls, could fill the vacancy arising from Arora's election. The byelection was necessitated following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called the bypolls a 'semi-final to 2027.' Punjab is due for Assembly polls in March 2027 and Gujarat by the end of that year.
