New Delhi:

The Opposition INDIA bloc won 10 of the 13 seats that went to polls across seven states, backing up their strong show in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, which returned for a record third term at the Centre last month, managed to claim only two seats.

In Punjab, AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat scored a decisive victory in the Jalandhar West constituency, with a margin exceeding 23,000 votes. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, the TMC showcased its dominance by capturing all four seats contested.

Himachal Pradesh witnessed a notable debut as Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, secured victory in the Dehra constituency. The Congress further strengthened its position by claiming the Nalagarh seat, while the BJP managed to secure a win in Hamirpur.

Chief Minister Sukhu, after the win said that people of Himachal Pradesh have given a befitting reply to those hatching “conspiracies to topple the government”.

“People of Himachal gave us 40 seats in 2022. People have given a befitting reply to the kind of poaching that happened in state politics in the past,” Mr Sukhu said.

“This also gave the message that the people of the state are aware and awake and that such poaching will not work. Three independent MLAs had no reason to resign. They could have simply allied with the BJP, but even they learned their lesson,” he added.

In Tamil Nadu, the DMK’s Anniyur Siva won the Vikravandi assembly seat by a significant margin of nearly 60,000 votes. The Congress won both seats in Uttarakhand, while the BJP’s Kamslesh Pratap Shahi won the Amarwar seat in Madhya Pradesh.

Independent candidate Shankar Singh won the Rupauli assembly bypoll in Bihar’s Purnea, defeating JDU’s Kaladhar Prasad Mandal by a margin of 8,246 votes.

These bypolls were the first since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which saw the BJP winning 240 seats – 32 short of the majority. The NDA, however, managed to cross the halfway mark of 272 with a total tally of 293 seats. The Congress-led INDIA bloc clinched 232 seats.

Dehra:

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur, won the key bypoll for the Dehra assembly seat. Making her electoral debut, Ms Thakur won by a margin of 9,399 votes over her nearest rival, BJP’s Hoshiyar Singh.

The bypoll, held on Saturday, witnessed a high turnout with 65.42% of the electorate exercising their franchise. Ms Thakur garnered 32,737 votes, while Mr Singh managed 23,338 votes.

The polling was conducted to fill vacancies created by the resignation of incumbent members, all Independents, who are now in the fray as BJP nominees.

The Dehra Assembly constituency, established after the 2012 delimitation exercise, had been a bastion of the BJP. Former minister Ravi Inder Singh and later Hoshiyar Singh, as an Independent, had secured victories in previous elections. However, the latest results signify a shifting political landscape in the Kangra district.

Chief Minister Sukhu’s vigorous campaign in Dehra played a key role in securing Ms Thakur’s debut victory.

Chief Minister Sukhu expressed his joy over the outcome, highlighting the Congress’ resurgence following a setback in the state during the Lok Sabha polls. “Just a month ago, BJP candidates claimed three Lok Sabha seats with a significant margin. Now, our confidence is bolstered with assured victories in two seats and a tough contest in Hamirpur,” he remarked, attributing the win to the government’s dedicated public service over the past 16 months.

He also said that the conspiracy to topple the government had failed.

Earlier this year, the Congress government in Himachal faced a crisis after it lost the lone Rajya Sabha seat despite having the numbers due to cross-voting by some of its MLAs. The six MLAs who voted for the BJP were disqualified by the Speaker.

The cross-voting paved the way for the victory of BJP’s Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election after a tie, and then a draw of lots sealed the fate of Congress pick and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi.

Anilkumar Kesava Pillai
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A few candidates of Indian descent belonging to various political parties have made it big in the recently held elections of South Africa and posted back-to-back electoral wins to the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

While Mergan Chetty won his third consecutive stint in parliament this year, Shara Singh, a member of Provincial Legislature from KwaZulu-Natal, graduated to the national politics and became a member of parliament. Mr. Chetty, who said he was the “longest serving member of Indian descent of Democratic Alliance (DA) in parliament” had earlier represented Pietermaritzburg City Council in 2006.

Ms. Singh resigned her membership in the local government after being elected to parliament. Of the 87 parliament members of the DA, four are of Indian descent, Ms. Singh told The Hindu.

Ashor Saruppen won his second straight term in parliament. Mr. Saruppen, whose ancestors came from Uttar Pradesh, had also served as a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature. He claimed that he was the most senior person of Indian descent in the leadership of the DA.

Narend Singh, leader of Inkatha Freedom Party, Fasiha Hassan of African National Congress (ANC), Imran Ismail Moosa of Al Jama‐Ah, and Visvin Gopal Reddy and Shunmugam Ramasamy Moodley of uMkhonto we Sizwe party too made it to parliament.

The newly elected members were sworn in on Friday.

While most of the elected members of Indian lineage were born in South Africa, Anilkumar Kesava Pillai, a native of Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, established himself in the local politics of the country 40 years ago. Mr. Pillai, who reached South Africa as a young teacher, had emerged as a trade union leader of teachers. He was first elected to the provincial council of Eastern Cape in 2019 as a representative of the ANC. Besides Mr. Pillai, Imran Keeka, Marlaine Nair and Riona Gokool, all members of the DA, were also re-elected to the provincial legislature of KwaZulu-Natal.

Meanwhile, some of the independent candidates and political formations that had espoused the cause of Indians failed to secure enough support.

(This correspondent was recently in Durban on an invitation from the South African Tourism)