BJP, Cong win bypolls in Gujarat, Jharkhand

The BJP and the Congress on Sunday won the Assembly bypolls in Gujarat and Jharkhand respectively bringing cheers to both sides.

In Gujarat, the BJP won the Jasdan Assembly seat taking its tally in the House to 100 while in Jharkhand, the Congress won Kolebira seat for the first time after the state's formation and that without the support of its ally JMM.

The bypoll in Jasdan in Rajkot district was necessitated after Congress MLA Kunvarji Bavaliya resigned and crossed over to the BJP. Bavaliya was fielded by the BJP in the bypoll in which he defeated Congress' Avsar Nakiya by a margin of 19,979 votes, officials said.

With this, the BJP has touched the three-figure mark in a House of 182-member Gujarat Assembly. The Congress now has 76 MLAs.

An influential Koli community leader, Bavaliya switching sides is considered a boost for the BJP camp ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Bavaliya, who resigned as an MLA on July 2, was made a Cabinet minister in the BJP government on the same day.

In Jharkhand, Congress' Viksal Kongadi defeated his BJP rival Basant Soreng by a margin of 9,658 votes in Kolebira seat. The bypoll was necessitated in Kolebira after sitting MLA Enok Ekka of Jharkhand Party was disqualified after being convicted in a murder case.

This victory has given more bargaining power for the Congress in the state vis-a-vis Shibu Soren-led JMM, which supported Ekka's wife Menan in the electoral fight.