The recent results of the by-elections came as a surprise to many people in India. The result came at a time when the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) had not yet come out of its celebration mode after winning the elections in Tripura and Meghalaya. The assembly elections in the Northeast states were a boost to the party as the party managed to topple the CPI(M) and the Congress in the two states.
Victory To The Opposition
The results of the by-elections in Bihar and UP came as a surprise to the ruling party, as both the states are currently being ruled by the BJP. One Lok Sabha seat was left vacant in Bihar after the death of the MP in Araria district while two seats were left vacant in Uttar Pradesh after the two members of the respective parliamentary seats went on to become the chief minister and the deputy chief minister of the state respectively. Unfortunately, all the three Lok Sabha seats were bagged by the opposition parties. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which had decided to fight the elections together, took over the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats from the BJP. While in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janta Dal retained its Lok Sabha seat in the Araria district. The two parties have successfully managed to not only CM Yogi’s assumptions false, but have also put the BJP on its toes.
Historic Gorakhpur Lok Sabha Constituency
The three Lok Sabha seats do not have a huge impact on the BJP government or national politics in general. The by-polls have simply come in the limelight since the two by-polls should have been an easy victory for the BJP. The seats, left vacant by the current CM Yogi Adityanath, had been with the BJP for decades. The historic seats were owned consecutively by CM Yogi and Mahant Avedyanath and have been with the BJP since 1991.
BSP And SP Alliance
Also, the by-polls were a litmus test for coalition politics by the opposition parties in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The SP and the BSP had lost the assembly elections by a huge margin, winning not even 100 seats in a total of 403 seats. Therefore, the two parties are planning to fight the upcoming elections together. The by-poll results could give a boost to the alliance between the two parties.
A Year Left Till The General Elections
There is only a year left till the parties gear up for the general elections in 2019. The recent news of the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) breaking their alliance with the BJP could add to the woes of the BJP. The TDP had recently withdrawn two Cabinet ministers from the BJP government. The TDP would also support the no-confidence motion against Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party in Parliament today.
Difficult Times Lie Ahead
The BJP was a very balanced party after the general elections in 2014. Today, the BJP rules in 21 states leaving just eight states to other parties. It was seen as further strengthened after the recent assembly elections in the Northeast and in Gujarat.
But the recent moves in the by-polls and the breaking of the alliance by the TDP surely aren’t good signals for the BJP. The results of the Rajasthan and Karnataka assembly elections will lock the fate of the general elections. Indeed, the result of the by-polls should not be hyped, but the dynamics around the results should not be ignored either.