Congress, AAP, JMM win key byelections in three states

In a strong electoral showing across three states, the Congress, AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) and JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) recorded emphatic byelection victories on Friday, delivering political momentum to the Opposition at a time of heightened political churn.

The Congress scored a high-profile win in Rajasthan’s Anta Assembly segment, where its candidate Pramod Jain Bhaya defeated BJP nominee Morpal Suman by 15,612 votes, securing 69,571 votes in total. Bhaya maintained a consistent lead throughout the count.

The seat, part of the politically sensitive Hadoti belt, fell vacant after BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena’s disqualification. Bhaya called the victory a sign of “changed public mood”, while state Congress leaders described it as a “two-year report card” on chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s BJP government.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said the result reflected growing anti-incumbency and voters’ endorsement of Congress’ welfare schemes. Despite extensive campaigning by top BJP leaders, including Sharma and Vasundhara Raje, the party failed to retain the seat.

AAP retains Tarn Taran in Punjab with comfortable lead

In Punjab, the ruling AAP held on to the Tarn Taran seat, where its candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu defeated Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa by 12,091 votes.

Sandhu secured 42,649 votes, overtaking Randhawa after the first three rounds and maintaining his lead through all 16 rounds.

The bypoll was a prestige battle for chief minister Bhagwant Mann. With this victory, AAP has now won six of seven bypolls since coming to power in 2022. Celebrations erupted at AAP offices in Tarn Taran and Chandigarh, with supporters dancing to dhols and bursting firecrackers.

JMM sweeps Ghatsila by over 38,000 votes

In Jharkhand, JMM candidate Somesh Chandra Soren won the Ghatsila bypoll by a thumping 38,524-vote margin, securing 1,04,794 votes against BJP’s Babulal Soren, who managed 66,270.

The seat fell vacant after the death of JMM MLA and former minister Ramdas Soren. His son Somesh, contesting for the first time, received a sympathy boost and strong backing from the ruling alliance.

JMM leaders said the win was a tribute to the late Shibu Soren and Ramdas Soren, while BJP leaders conceded that sympathy votes were expected.

The result increases the ruling JMM-led alliance’s tally to 56 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly.

Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, in the Nagrota bypoll today, BJP’s Devyani Rana won decisively with about 42,183 votes, defeating Harsh Dev Singh of the J&K National Panthers Party by a margin of 24,647 votes. The seat, previously held by her late father Devender Singh Rana, saw a high voter turnout of over 75 per cent, reaffirming BJP’s strength in the Jammu region.​

Wheareas in Budgam, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi secured victory, polling 21,576 votes and defeating the National Conference’s Aga Syed Mehmood by 4,478 votes. Voter turnout was about 50 per cent, lower than usual. This win marks a setback for the National Conference in the region, which had held the seat through former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah until recently.

With PTI inputs