Three key takeaways from bypoll results

From a round of bypolls whose results were announced on Sunday, three broad trends were visible.

Bypolls are usually not great approximations for full-scale elections; the poll is localised, many incentives for voting are usually not present and the incumbent begins with an advantage. Yet, from a smattering of bypolls, a general trend or political direction can be discerned. From a round of bypolls whose results were announced on Sunday, three broad trends were visible.

From a smattering of bypolls, a general trend or political direction can be discerned. (HT File Photo)

The first was the continued dominance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party won four seats across four states, holding off a Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) challenge in Bihar and picking up a seat in Haryana, thanks to the defection of veteran leader Kuldeep Bishnoi from the Congress (Mr Bishnoi had also helped the BJP’s candidate squeak past the Congress nominee in Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year). The second was that regional parties continued to hold onto their strongholds and were able to put up a fight against the BJP. The biggest example of this came from Telangana, where the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi staved off a fierce challenge from the BJP for the Munugode seat, even as the Congress, which originally held the constituency, faded. Expect a tough electoral battle when assembly elections come round in the southern state next year. The third was the continued weakness of the Congress. It lost two seats it held earlier and though two of its allies picked up a constituency each, it strengthened the perception that in head-to-head battles with the BJP, the Congress is not as strong as some regional outfits. As the country heads towards two state elections, and then a long poll season in 2023 and 2024, the party will look to reverse this perception.