AIMIM Victory in Bihar Will Pave Way for Dalit-Muslim Unity, Says Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Source – news18.com

Patna: HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday hailed the victory of Asaduddin Owaisis AIMIM in Kishanganj assembly by-poll saying the maiden success of the Hyderabad MPs party in Bihar will pave the way for “dalit-muslim unity” across the country.

Manjhi, who is also a former chief minister, condemned the adverse remarks against Owaisi by some people and asserted that communalism and fake nationalism posed a greater threat to the nation.

We are a democracy in which every party can contest elections from anywhere. I congratulate Asaduddin Owaisi and his party for entering the fray in Kishanganj and emerging victorious, Manjhi said in a statement here.

I condemn the adverse remarks made by some people against Owaisi. The nation faces a bigger threat from communalism and fake nationalism than from the victory of AIMIM in Kishanganj, said Manjhi, a dalit leader, in a veiled criticism of the BJP and its firebrand leader Giriraj Singh.

Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is a constituent of the five-party Grand Alliance led by RJD. One of the primary reasons why I welcome AIMIMs victory in Kishanganj is that in the Seemanchal region of Bihar, dalits and muslims face the threat of being dubbed as outsiders and terrorists in the name of implementation of NRC.

Results of the by-election will pave the way for nation-wide dalit-muslim unity, he added.

Formerly with the JD(U), Manjhi had quit it and floated HAM in 2015 in protest against having been made to step down as chief minister to make way for the return of his political mentor Nitish Kumar.

He had started off as a constituent of the NDA wherein he was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called Manjhis forced resignation an insult to the ‘Mahadalit’ class.

He walked out of the BJP-led coalition in less than a year after Kumars return to the same in July, 2017. However, Manjhi has been sore with the RJD ever since the Grand Alliance was drubbed in the general elections this year.

Out of five assembly seats where by-polls were held earlier this week, the RJD had fielded its candidates in all except Kishanganj a seat which was held by the Congress. This time Congress ended up a distant third and forfeited its deposit.

The RJD won two seats and lost one Nathnagar by a margin of votes that was less than the tally of the HAM candidate whom Manjhi had fielded as a token of protest against Tejashwi Yadav, the son of Lalu Prasad.

BSEB May Delay Bihar STET Admit Card 2019 Download Date, Reopen Application Form.

Source – news.aglasem.com

Teaching aspirants across Bihar are waiting eagerly to download STET admit card 2019. It has been more than three weeks since the application form submission ended. And most importantly, the exam date is supposed to be November 7, 2019, which is only two weeks away.

Candidates are expecting STET admit card for the Bihar Secondary Teacher Eligibility Test 2019 to be released this week. However, even now there is neither any link to download admit card, nor any notification about its release date yet.

There are high chances that BSEB may have to delay releasing the STET admit card 2019. This is because of the decision of the high court to remove age limit. 

As per latest reports, the Patna High Court has ordered Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), which the conducting body for STET 2019, to remove the age limit in the exam. As per the report, the high court deems that since the state had not conducted any STET in the last 8 years, many candidates who were waiting for the exam have crossed the STET 2019 age limit now. It is not, as per the decision, the candidates’ fault that they do not fulfill the age limit. 

Now if BSEB has to adhere to this decision, then it will have to remove the age limit. As per Bihar STET 2019 notification, the age limit was as follows: general male – 37 years, general female / BC male / BC female / EBC male / EBC female – 40 years,  SC male / SC female / ST male / ST female – 42 years. 

And if the age limit is removed, then all the candidates who were earlier not eligible for the STET 2019, will now be eligible, and they will have to be given a chance to apply. In that case, the online application form of the exam will reopen.

If the application form submission reopens, then admit card cannot be released immediately. So it will take some time after that for BSEB to issue the hall tickets. 

Whether exam date will also be postponed is another question. After the court decision, there is no notification on the official website bsebstet2019.in or on the board website biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in regarding either the decision, or what next. 

The only confirmed thing right now is that whenever the admit card is released, it will be made available at bsebstet2019.in only. There, candidates will have to login with application number and date of birth in order to download their admit card. 

Bihar STET 2019 is being organized to fill 25,270 vacancies of teachers in classes 9th and 10th, and 12,065 in classes 11th and 12th. For classes 9th, 10th, there will be paper 1, and for classes 11th, 12th, there will be paper 2. Recruitment of teachers will only be on the basis of merit obtained in the exam, subject to fulfillment of eligibility criteria and verification of documents. Both the papers will be 2.5 hours long, without any negative marking.

Dispute between Buddhist temple’s board and its congregation leaves monks out in the streets.

Source – lbpost.com

An internal dispute between worshipers and the board of directors of a Cambodian Buddhist temple has spilled out into the streets of West Long Beach.

Since Oct. 16, three monks have been sleeping in their cars parked adjacent to the Khemara Buddhikarama Temple at 2100 W. Willow St., known by many congregants as Wat Willow.They are never alone though.

With the support of many congregants—some of whom have acted as bodyguards until early into the morning—the monks have received food, water and anything else they need.

A handful of canopies are set up along the sidewalk’s grassy area, along with tents, tables, chairs and coolers filled with water.

A makeshift altar with a statue of Buddha sits on top of a rug, allowing for daily meditation to continue.

Handmade signs read in part: “no monks no monastery” and “all Cambodian people fight for justice!!”

Construction controversy

Conflict began over a year ago when the temple’s head monk for over 11 years, the Venerable Thet Sim, withdrew his support for the construction of a new temple to replace the current building, which resembles a multi-purpose hall.

In light of the monk’s change of heart, he was removed from the subcommittee overseeing the construction project, and when voting time came around last August he was not re-elected chairman of the board of directors, according to Kalmine Ly, who is the board’s treasurer.

As such, Sim’s name was then removed from the bank account where both regular temple funds and construction funds are deposited.“Then the problems started,” Ly said.

Longtime congregant Suzanne Keo, who has been supporting the monks, said Sim withdrew his support for the construction project after the board of directors refused to share updates or be transparent with him or the congregation that has been providing the funds.

“Congregants were asking how the money was being dispersed,” Keo said.

Tension grew last winter as the head monk gained supporters. Soon after, congregants began donating directly to the monk instead of the board.

Ly said the situation became hostile toward the board, claiming the monk began to incite rebellion among some congregants who refused to let board members meet in private.The congregants said they just wanted answers to their questions.

Then, this spring, Ly said, the board decided to evict the head monk and one other monk. But they refused to leave.

During a civil trial in September, a judge sided with the board after learning that they had given the two monks 30- and 60-day eviction notices, in accordance with their time at the monastery.

The monks’ attorney Andrew Cooledge maintains the evictions were retaliatory after the tenants brought up maintenance issues such as a leaking roof.

Keo and others believe the trial also didn’t take into account religious and cultural practices and pointed to a bylaw amended in 2012, the year after the temple’s founder and head monk died.

In the original bylaw, a monk cannot be removed by the board—a standard custom in other Buddhist temples. A monk can only be removed by fellow monks or the congregation itself. And while the amended bylaw states a board can remove a monk, it can only do so after a public hearing, which never took place for the two monks.

Temporary temple closure

While the judge upheld the eviction of Sim and Tith Bun, both congregants and the two remaining monks were surprised to find out on Oct. 16 that the temple was going to close temporarily while the board assesses the safety of the building, changes the locks, adds security cameras and other minor repairs. Sheriff’s deputies even appeared to help enforce the court-approved permit.

Sarun Caea, one of the monks who was temporarily displaced, said he wasn’t aware of the temporary closure until the day it happened.

Through an interpreter, he said he felt depressed and is still in a state of shock. He feels his safety and privacy is compromised after learning that cameras are also being installed inside the building.

Ly said the board reached out to a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana that agreed to provide temporary housing for the two remaining monks.

But, as supporters noted, everything the monks know is in Long Beach, including their congregation they are supposed to lead.

In addition, congregants said that on the day that the two monks were ordered out, the board refused to let one of them go in to get his medicine; he was instead told to go to the hospital.

Ly said it was because the board feared he would stay in his room and refuse to leave.

Now Bun and the two remaining monks are under the care of congregants, while they in turn lead prayers on the sidewalk.

Earlier this week, congregants were left on the street to celebrate one of Buddhism’s biggest holidays, Kathina, which is a time for giving thanks to monks.

Ly said the board had rescheduled it to the beginning of November but congregants said they were not told.

The temple is supposed to reopen on Oct. 28, both both sides are unsure if there can be any peace or unity. Trust has already been compromised.

Both congregants and the remaining monks are calling for a special election to refill the board of director seats, especially those filled by 12 new members who were elected in 2012 when the bylaws were changed.

“We want the 12 [new] board of directors out,” Keo said. “There’s no way the people will trust them again.”

NDA’s Performance In Bihar Not As Per Expectation: Chirag Paswan.

Source – ndtv.com

PATNA: Senior Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and MP Chirag Paswan on Friday expressed happiness over the party’s victory in Samastipur Lok Sabha seat, but voiced concerns over the National Democratic Alliance’s performance in the assembly bypolls in Bihar.

Saying that the state bypoll outcome did not match their expectations, the LJP Parliamentary Board chief said the reasons for this would be reviewed at a meeting of the ruling coalition.

He exuded confidence that the NDA will bounce back in the 2020 assembly polls in Bihar.

LJP is a partner of the BJP and JDU in the NDA in Bihar.

“There is certainly some concern for the NDA as we could not perform as per our expectation. We (NDA leaders) will have a review meeting as why results are not as per our hopes and the reasons behind it.

“We will find out our mistakes and reasons for bypoll results and fight 2020 Bihar assembly polls with our full strength to register a historic victory under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” Mr Paswan told reporters.

He claimed the NDA would win 225 assembly seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

The NDA won the Samastipur reserved Lok Sabha seat comfortably, but could manage to register victory  in just one out of the five assembly seats in the assembly by- election, results of which were declared on Thursday.

“It will not be correct to make any kind of statement in haste when the results are declared barely 24 hours ago,” the LJP leader said adding the NDA leaders would review the outcome.

Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal bagged two of the five assembly seats in the Bihar by-election.

Asked whether people have rejected Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s face in the bypolls, he said it would not be correct to say so.

Rishabh Pant chills with MS Dhoni at his home in Ranchi.

Source – indiatoday.in

Time and again young Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has expressed his admiration for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and has admitted that it will be tough for him to fill in the big shoes’ of former India captain, who is in the twilight of his career.

Rishabh Pant on Friday took to Instagram to post a picture with MS Dhoni and captioned it: Good Vibes Only. In the picture, Pant can be seen chilling out with India legend at the latter’s residence in Ranchi.

MS Dhoni was spotted in the Indian dressing room after the team’s innings and 202-run win over South Africa at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi in the last Test.

Dhoni was not picked for the three-match series against Bangladesh and it is yet not clear whether the 39-year-old wicketkeeper made himself available for selection or not. Prasad though, stated that they are looking for younger options in the shortest format with Pant being the man in focus for them.

Dhoni has not played any form of cricket since India’s exit from the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup in England in July. He took a break from the sport to train with his regiment in the Territorial Indian Army after which he made himself unavailable for the limited-overs series against South Africa at home.

Rishabh Pant, who has been in poor form with the bat this year in limited-overs cricket, was picked as first choice wicket-keeper for the T20I series against Bangladesh. His wicketkeeping skills are improving but there is still a lot of scope of improvement.

In 9 ODIs this year, Pant has managed just 188 runs in 8 innings at an average of 23.50 with 48 being his highest score. In the 10 T20Is that he has played in 2019, Pant has managed 168 runs at 21 with one half-century to his name.

UPSC NDA 2 Admit Card 2019 Released @upsconline.nic.in, Download UPSC NDA II Call Letter Here.

Source – jagranjosh.com

UPSC NDA 2 Admit Card 2019: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the admit card of National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (II) 2019.UPSC NDA exam is scheduled on 17 November 2019 (Sunday). 

 Candidates can download the UPSC NDA NA 2 Admit Card from UPSC website i.e. upsconline.nic.in. No Admit Card will be sent by post. In order to download the e-Admit Card the candidate must have his vital parameters like Registration ID & Date of Birth or Roll No. (If received)  & date of birth or Roll Number & Date of Birth available with him.

Candidates can also download UPSC NDA Admit Card directly through the link on or before 04 November 2019:

UPSC NDA 2 Admit Card Download :- https://upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard/admitcard_NDAII_2019/instructions.php

UPSC NDA 2 Admit Card Notice :- https://upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/e-ACNOtice-NDANA-II-2019-Engl.pdf

As per the official website “Entry into the Examination Venue shall be closed 10 minutes before the scheduled commencement of the Examination i.e. 09.50A.M. for the Forenoon Session and 01.50 P.M. for the Afternoon Session . No candidate shall be allowed the entry into the Examination Venue after closure of the entry”

UPSC NDA exam will be carrying 900 marks and there will be objective type questions from Mathematics and General Ability. One third (0.33) of the marks will be deducted as a penalty for each wrong answer.

UPSC is conducting the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (II), 2019 for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA for the 144th Course, and for the 106th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commencing from 02 July 2020

Candidates shortlisted in written exam will be called for Intelligence and Personality before Services Selection Board where candidates for the Army/Navy wings of the NDA and 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme of Indian Naval Academy will be assessed on Officers Potentiality and those for the Air Force in addition to the above will have to qualify Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS).

Jharkhand: Vote for BJP even if candidates are dacoits or naughty men, says Godda MP Nishikant Dubey.

Source – scroll.in

Nishikant Dubey, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Godda in Jharkhand, told voters to support candidates of his party even if they are criminals, the Hindustan Times reported on Friday. The minister also said that voters should support “handicapped” BJP candidates as well.

“I want to request you all that whoever the BJP fields, be it a handicap, thief, dacoit or a naughty man, we must support that candidate,” Dubey told BJP workers in Deoghar district’s Jamtara city on Wednesday. “We should have faith in the decision of national [BJP] president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Raghubar Das.”

He later defended his statement and claimed he was speaking metaphorically. “I told the party workers that even if they personally feel that the candidates are handicaps or criminals, it was their duty to support them, as our national president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister, Raghubar Das always chose good people to contest elections,” Dubey said.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren said the statement showed the BJP’s fear about the upcoming elections. “It shows the rubbish and unparliamentary thinking of the BJP MP,” Soren said. “He describes himself as the second Chanakya but his statement is a reflection of the fear and desperation within the BJP over their electoral prospects.”

Soren added that the real problems in the state are unemployment, inflation, corruption and the shutdown of schools and colleges. “But the BJP wants to field thieves and dacoits with an invitation to further loot our homes,” he added. Elections to the Jharkhand Assembly are due by the end of the year.

BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Final Result 2019 Declared, Check @bpssc.bih.nic.in

Source – jagranjosh.com

BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Final Result 2019: Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC) has released BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Final Result 2019. All those who appeared in the Physical Test for Bihar BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Exam 2019 can download their result through the official website of BPSC.i.e. bpssc.bih.nic.in.

BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Exam 2019 Physical Test was held on 18 October 2019 to fill up 126 vacancies for the post of Excise Sub Inspector. 

Around 86595 candidates appeared in the BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Prelims Exam 2019 which was held on 9 June 2019. Total, 2600 candidates were qualified for BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Mains Exam 2019 which was scheduled on 25 August 2019.

Around 772 candidates have qualified in BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector PET 2019 out of which 482 candidates were male and 290 were female candidates.

How to Download BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Final Result

  • Visit the official website.i.e. bpssc.bih.nic.in.
  • Click on Download BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Final Result.
  • The result is available in the PDF form.
  • Candidates can save it for future reference.

All the qualified candidates can get their selection letter from the office of commission by showing their e-admit card and photo identity card on 30 October 2019. Candidates will have to appear between 5 November to 25 November 2019 along with their essential documents in the office of Product Commissioner, Bihar Public Service Commission (Development Office, Beli Road, Patna). 

The online application for BPSSC Excise Sub Inspector Recruitment 2019 was started on 22 May 2018 and ended on 30 June 2018.

289 Chikungunya Cases Recorded in Patna as Bihar Grapples with Dengue.

Source – news18.com

After dengue, Chikungunya cases are increasing in Bihar as 322 cases have already been reported in the state.

Of the total number of cases reported in the state, 289 come from the capital city alone till Tuesday, reported The Times of India.

The report makes mention of the fact that in comparison; the figure for the entire of 2018 was 156.

According to state health department data, the maximum number of chikungunya cases is from Patna, followed by Nalanda, which has reported 10 cases till Wednesday.

A health department officer urged people to take caution reminding everyone that the most number of chikungunya cases were recorded between mid-October and November last year.

He further added that in 2018 chikungunya forayed into the state because a number of travellers suffering from the disease travelled to Bihar during Durga Puja and Chhath carrying the virus along with them. As per health department data, a single case from Nalanda saw a patient travelling from Bangalore. None of the cases in Patna had any prior travel history.

Commenting on the striking rise in chikungunya cases in the state this year, principal secretary of health department Sanjay Kumar said that since the carrier of both dengue and chikungunya is the same and because there is an increase in dengue cases this year, chikungunya cases too have subsequently raised.

Citing an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, Kumar added that in 40 percent of the households surveyed by the central team, they found presence of larvae.

Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) medicine department associate professor RD Singh revealed more about the difference in symptoms of chikungunya and dengue stating that while in both cases a person suffers from fever, in case of dengue there is body ache while in chikungunya there is pain in the joints.

He further added that though rashes occur in both cases, in dengue there is no rash on palms and soles. Furthermore, he said that while for dengue, a person can recover after 10 days, chikungunya pain can persist for two to three weeks at least.

Bypolls: BJP, allies come first, AIMIM gains toehold in Bihar.

Source – indiatoday.in

The BJP and its allies on Thursday won 26 of the 51 assembly seats at stake in the bypolls across 18 states and the Congress emerged victorious in 12 constituencies while Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM tasted its maiden electoral success in Bihar.

In bye-elections to two Lok Sabha seats, Prince Raj of the Lok Jan Shakti Party won in Samastipur (SC) in Bihar defeating Ashok Kumar of the Congress, while Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil of the NCP emerged victorious in Maharashtra’s Satara constituency over Udyanraje Pratapsinhmaharaj Bhonsle of the BJP.

The Samajwadi Party turned out to be a major gainer in Uttar Pradesh, wresting a seat each from the ruling BJP and the BSP, while the NDA got eight, one less than it held.

The SP wrested Zaidpur seat from the BJP and Jalalpur seat from the BSP, while retaining Rampur. The BJP won seven seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) bagged one.

The BJP, which yielded Zaidpur to the SP, retained Balha, Gangoh, Manikpur, Ghosi, Iglas, Lucknow Cantt and Govindnagar, while Apna Dal (S) retained Pratapgarh.

Setback for JDU

The ruling JD(U) suffered a setback in Bihar managing to win only one of the four seats it contested. Bypolls were held in five seats of which RJD won two and AIMIM one. The remaining seat was won by an Independent.

The results gave the once mighty RJD a reason to smile, while Hyderabad MP Owaisi’s AIMIM gained a toehold in the state clinching Kishanganj, a Muslim dominated constituency. BJP rebel candidate Karnjeet Singh won the Dharaunda seat as an Independent.

The JD(U) could win only Nathnagar where its candidate Laxmi Kant Mandal beat Rabia Khatun of the RJD by little over 5,000 votes.

Of the five seats where by-polls were held, four were held by BJP ally the JD(U) and one by the Congress.

Among the states ruled by the BJP and its allies, bypolls were held for the maximum 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, followed by six in Gujarat, five in Bihar, four in Assam and two each in Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Other states where bypolls were held

The other states where bypolls were held are Punjab (4 seats), Kerala (5 seats), Sikkim (3 seats), Rajasthan (2 seats) and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Meghalaya and Telangana.

The BJP and its allies held nearly 30 of these assembly seats, while the Congress had won 12 and the rest were with regional parties.

In a morale booster after the Lok Sabha poll drubbing months ago, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu wrested two seats from arch-rival DMK and its ally Congress. AIADMK won by impressive margins in Vikravandi and Nanguneri constituencies.

In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF tasted defeat at the hands of the ruling LDF headed by the CPI-M in its strongholds of Vattiyoorkavu and Konni, while it retained two seats and won from the Marxist bastion of Aroor.

Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V K Prasanth won from Vattiyoorkavu by a margin of over 14,465 votes against his nearest Congress rival K Mohankumar.

Another UDF bastion, Konni, went to the LDF kitty with its candidate K U Jenish Kumar winning by 9,953 votes defeating P Mohanraj (Cong).

However, the LDF tasted defeat at Aroor, a CPI(M) stronghold where UDF’s Shanimol Usman, who had unsuccessfully contested the April Lok Sabha poll from Alappuzha, won with a margin of 2079 votes.

Usman defeated her nearest rival Manu C Pulickal of the LDF by a margin of 2,079 votes.

The UDF won the Manjeshwaram seat where M C Kamaruddin (IUML) won by a margin of 7,923 votes against BJP’s Raveesh Thanthri Kuntar.

It retained the Ernakulam seat as its candidate T J Vinod, deputy Mayor of Kochi corporation, defeated his nearest rival advocate Manu Roy, the LDF-Independent candidate by over 3,750 votes.

The defeat at Vatiyoorkavu and Konni comes as a rude shock for the UDF which had won 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the Lok Sabha polls in May.

Following the bypoll outcome, the LDF’s strength has now gone up to 93, while that of UDF 45 in the 140-member house.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress wrested back its traditional Jhabua assembly seat from the BJP. Congress candidate and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria won by a margin of over 27,804 votes, defeating BJP’s Bhanu Bhuria.

The Congress lost the seat to BJP in last year’s assembly polls with GS Damor defeating Kantilal Bhuria’s son Vikrant Bhuria by 10,437 votes. However, the BJP fielded Damor in the general elections from the Ratlam-Jhabua seat, which he won by defeating Kantilal Bhuria.

The Congress now has 115 members, one short of simple majority in the 230-member house. It enjoys the support of 4 Independents, two BSP MLAs and one SP MLA.

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan increased its tally in the state assembly by winning the bypoll to Mandawa seat while MP Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party retained the Khinwsar seat.

Congress’s Rita Chaudhary won from Mandawa by a margin of 33,704 votes while RLP candidate Narayan Beniwal won Khinwsar by 4,630 votes.

Now the Congress tally in the 200-member assembly has increased to 107, including six those who had defected to the party from the BSP last month. The BJP has 72 MLAs. The RLP now has three MLAs.

The ruling Congress consolidated its position in Punjab winning three assembly segments while opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one seat, where bypolls were held.

Raminder Awla defeated SAD nominee Raj Singh Dibipura by 16,633 votes from Jalalabad, considered an Akali bastion.

Earlier, the segment was represented by Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in May.

In Phagwara, which fell vacant after sitting BJP MLA Som Parkash was elected to the Lok Sabha, Congress candidate and former IAS officer Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal defeated BJP nominee Rajesh Bagha by a margin of 26,116 votes.

Congress’s Indu Bala won from Mukerian by defeating BJP’s Jangi Lal Mahajan by a margin of 3,440 votes.

But the ruling party suffered a setback as SAD’s Manpreet Singh Ayali defeated its nominee Sandeep Singh Sandhu by a margin of 14,672 votes in Dakha.

TRS defeats Congress in Telangana’s Huzurnagar

The ruling TRS in Telangana won the Huzurnagar seat with its nominee S Saidi Reddy defeating Congress rival N Padmavati Reddy.

The BJP in Assam won three seats with its candidates Bijoy Malakar (Ratabari), Rajen Borthakur (Rangapara) and Nabanita Handique (Sonari) defeating their respective Congress opponents. All India United Democratic Front’s Rafiqul Islam prevailed over Congress’s Shamsul Hoque in Jania.

In Himachal Pradesh, the ruling BJP retained both the Dharamshala and Pachhad seats. In Pachhad, Reena Kashyap defeated her nearest rival, former minister Gangu Ram Musafir of the Congress, by a margin of 2,742 votes.

Vishal Nehria defeated Independent Rakesh Kumar by a margin of 6,758 votes in Dharamshala.

In Puducherry, the ruling Congress retained the Kamaraj Nagar Assembly seat with its nominee A John Kumar defeating his nearest AINRC rival S Bhuvaneswarane by a margin of 7,170 votes.

With this win, the Congress’s strength in the assembly has been restored to 15 in which the Congress enjoys the support of the DMK, its alliance partner, from outside.

The bypoll was necessitated after the incumbent legislator V Vaithilingam (Congress) quit following his election to the Lok Sabha from the lone seat here in April.

The ruling Congress won the bypoll from the Naxal-affected Chitrakot constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, in Chhattisgarh with Rajman Benzam defeating Lachhuram Kashyap of the BJP by a margin of 17,862 votes.

BJD candidate Rita Sahu won the Bijepur Assembly seat in Odisha defeating Sanat Gartia of the BJP by 97,990 votes, which is the highest-ever margin in the history of the state’s assembly polls.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang aka PS Golay won the bypoll to the Poklok Kamrang Assembly seat by 8,953 votes. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) founder defeated his nearest rival Moses Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front.

The SKM’s alliance partner BJP tasted its first electoral victory in the northeastern state winning the Martam Rumtek and Gangtok seats.

Sonam TSH Venchungpa won from Martam Rumtek seat, defeating his nearest rival Nuk Tshering Bhutia of the SDF by 6,150 votes while Yong Tshering Lepcha beat Delay Namgyal Barfungpa of the Sikkim National People’s Party by 1,010 votes in Gangtok.

Former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who contested from Gangtok seat on a Hamro Sikkim Party ticket, managed to bag only 579 votes.

The ruling SKM’s tally in the 32-member House has now gone up to 19 while the BJP’s strength in the House is 12. Ten SDF legislators had earlier switched to the BJP.

United Democratic Party candidate Balajied Kupar Synrem won the bypoll to Shella constituency in Meghalaya by over 6,000 votes. The bye-election was necessitated due to the death of UDP president Donkupar Roy, who had represented the seat for a record seven times, earlier this year. Synrem is Donkupar Roy’s son.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Independent candidate Chakat Aboh, wife of National People’s Party (NPP) leader Tirong Aboh who was shot dead in May, emerged victorious defeating another independent nominee Azet Homtok by 1,887 votes.

BJP and the Congress shared the spoils in Gujarat

The ruling BJP and the Congress shared the spoils in Gujarat winning three seats each. OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who switched sides from the Congress to the BJP, lost from Radhanpur by a margin of 3,807 votes to Congress’s Raghubhai Desai.

Congress candidate Jashu Patel defeated BJP’s Dhavalsinh Zala in Bayad, while in Tharad, Congress nominee Gulabsinh Rajput prevailed over BJP’s Jivraj Patel.

In Kheralu seat, BJP’s Ajmalji Thakor beat Congress’s Babuji Thakor.

In Lunawada, BJP’s Jignesh Sevak beat Congress’s Gulabsinh Chauhan while in Amraiwadi, Congress’s Dharmendra Patel lost to BJP’s Jagdish Patel.