E-Paper
In defeat, BJP has reasons to smile in Bengal bypoll results
The BJP polled 2.93 lakh votes in Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency, which is more than double of its tally of 1.37 lakh votes polled in 2014.
The Trinamool Congress might have managed to sweep Uluberia Lok Sabha and Noapara assembly bypolls in Bengal, but the BJP, too, is upbeat about its performance as it’s margin has gone up considerably.
Not only the saffron party came second, it also increased its vote share in both the constituencies. It polled 2.93 lakh votes in Uluberia, which is more than double of its tally of 1.37 lakh votes polled in 2014.
The 2018 performance by the BJP is an improvement of about 600% over its 2009 tally of a meagre 42,443 votes on this seat.
In Noapara assembly constituency, the BJP registered a 64% rise in the votes polled — 38,711 votes in 2018 as compared to 23,579 votes during 2016 assembly election.
Compared to BJP’s tally of 7,594 votes in 2011 assembly election, the rise in 2018 is over 400%. The CPM stood third on both these seats.
“BJP’s vote share has increased significantly over the years. The result would have had been different if there was no booth capturing,” BJP general secretary in charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya said.
West Bengal is one of the few states where BJP has been trying to make inroads. The BJP could win just two out of 42 Lok Sabha seats it contested in West Bengal in 2014, but polled about 87 lakh votes with a vote share of 17%. Its performance dipped in the 2016 assembly election and the BJP could win just three out of 294 assembly seats with vote tally of about 56 lakh and vote share of 10.3%.
