Possibly giving BJP national president Amit Shah rough nights, a united opposition once again scored in the by-polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning the Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly seats. A powerful coalition of Muslims, Jatavs, and Jats turned the tables on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP with the much-anticipated Kairana result showing RLD's Tabassum Hasan, supported by the Samajwadi Party and BSP, winning by over 44,000 votes as she defeated late BJP MP Hukum Singh's daughter Mriganka Singh. She is now the first Muslim to enter the Lok Sabha from UP since 2014.
The Noorpur seat saw SP's Naeemul Hasan winning by 6000 odd votes, yet again dethroning BJP. Results of four Lok Sabha bypolls were evenly split between NDA and the Opposition. UP is a crucial region and the possibility of a sharp reduction in the party's tally here is seen to have a bearing on its ability to return to office. Opposition parties won 11 by-polls, limiting the ruling BJP and its allies to just three out of four Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats across 11 states. The Congress became the single largest party in Meghalaya after Miani D Shira won the Ampati seat vacated by her father Mukul Sangma. Congress now has 21 MLAs in the 60-member assembly, one MLA more than NPP.
The BJP however, got the better of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, in the Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll. BJP's Rajendra Gavit won the seat, defeating Shiv Sena's Shrinivas Wanaga by 29574 votes. The party established dominance over its ally and the win will help reduce Sena's authority.
