The Congress and regional parties have picked up five each of the 11 Assembly seats up for grabs today, indicating that a larger opposition alliance can challenge the ruling BJP in 2019.
The ascendance of regional parties in these elections will also be a challenge for the Congress, to get the arithmetic right on whether it can be the glue to a combined opposition alliance or whether it should cede space to dominant regional partners in states.
In the 4 Lok Sabha seats that are being counted today, the BJP is neck-and-neck with the Opposition. The bad news is has lost the prestigious Kairana fight in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP is behind Opposition RLD in the Kairana Lok Sabha seat. The party is significantly ahead in Maharashtra's Lok Sabha seat Palghar but is trailing behind NCP-Congress in Bhandara-Gondia. BJP ally NDPP is leading in the lone Nagaland seat.
In the 11 Assembly seats, regional parties are leading in five, the Congress has won two and leading in three and the BJP is leading in one.
Lok Sabha seats
Kairana, Uttar Pradesh:
BJP has lost this big prestige battle to the Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, an influential regional party in the Jat-dominated western Uttar Pradesh. The RLD was the face of a united opposition in Uttar Pradesh, which is helmed by the Samjawadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. The SP had openly supported the RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan in the campaign to the bypoll. Hasan also claimed that she had the support of Bahujan Samaj party, though party boss Mayawati made no formal announcement of this.
Bhandara-Gondia and Palghar, Maharashtra:
The fight in Palghar was between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, with the Shiv Sena hoping to find feet after rebelling against big brother BJP. In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP was up against the coalition of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has already indicated he is willing to go with the Congress in 2019.
Lone seat in Nagaland:
Bypoll is taking place here because of the resignation of present Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to contest the Assembly polls. The ruling People's Democratic Alliance in Nagaland has fielded former minister Tokheho Yepthomi. Yepthomi faces opposition Naga People's Front candidate C Apok Jamir.
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