After setbacks, BJP cautious about Maha byelections

Mumbai: After its defeat in Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha bypolls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is cautious about byelections in Maharashtra — Bhandara-Gondia, Palghar Lok Sabha seats and Palus-Kadegaon Assembly seat in Sangli district. However, Congress feels the recent bypoll results were an indication of the “changing political scenario”.

The byelections will take place in Bhandara-Gondia as its sitting BJP MP Nana Patole resigned from the seat last year and joined the Congress. The bypolls in Palghar are necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanga in January this year. The dates of these bypolls are yet to be announced.

Notably, in a setback to the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party recently lost the bypolls to all three Lok Sabha seats it contested, including its bastions Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Last month, the Congress thumped the ruling BJP in Rajasthan, clinching the two Lok Sabha and one state Assembly seat in the bypolls.