After its poor show in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP today received a boost in the assembly bypolls registering an impressive victory in Gujarat and bagging one seat each in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand where it got a majority in the state assembly.
In Gujarat, the ruling BJP bagged five of the seven seats that went to polls on September 10 while Congress won Dhoraji and Kodinar, held by BJP.
BJP, which had run a low-key campaign in the by-election following the party's poor show in the Lok Sabha polls and subsequent defeat in the Junagadh civic body polls, has wrested Dehgam, Jasdan, Chotila and Danta from Congress.
In Sami, BJP candidate Bhavsing Rathod, who had won the last assembly polls from the same seat on Congress ticket, has retained his seat contesting on BJP ticket in the by-poll.
Congress has wrested BJP's bastion Kodinar in Saurashtra while retaining Dhoraji, a party stronghold.
"The results of the by elections show that BJP still remains a preferred choice of the people of Gujarat," said BJP general secretary Jayantibhai Barot.
Of the seven seats where by-elections were held, six were with Congress and one by BJP.
{{/usCountry}}Of the seven seats where by-elections were held, six were with Congress and one by BJP.
{{/usCountry}}BJP also secured a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly by winning the Vikasnagar seat, taking its tally to 36 in the 70-member House.
Expressing happiness over his party's performance, BJP President Rajnath Singh said the results have shown that Congress is losing ground not only in Gujarat but also in Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.