Breaking Views: What Does BJP’s Defeat in Kairana Imply?

Bypoll results in 4 Lok Sabha seats and 10 Assembly seats have come as a warning signal for BJP.

Bypoll results have come as a warning signal for BJP

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

Bypoll results in four Lok Sabha seats and 10 Assembly seats have come as a warning signal for BJP – a warning bell that BJP must adhere to soon, as the United Opposition gears up ahead of 2019.

Days after Modi govt completed 4 years in office, the bypoll debacle doesn’t bode well for the party at the helm. The Quint’s Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia explains the key learnings for the BJP from the bypolls.

If Bypoll Results Are an Indication, It’s a Matter of Worry for the BJP

Bypoll results in 4 Lok Sabha seats and 10 Assembly seats were very crucial and so were the results, which call for a detailed analysis. Except for two of these seats, the BJP has faced defeat in the rest. If the bypoll results are an indication, it's a matter of worry for the BJP.

BJP Faced Defeat in the Hindutva Laboratory of Kairana

For BJP the biggest defeat was Kairana. Kairana has been the ’Hindutva-laboratory’ for the BJP. From 2013 Kairana has made headlines predominantly for the politics of polarisation. BJP’s Hukum Singh had won in Kairana by 3 lakh votes while his daughter Mriganka Singh lost by 50,000 votes. The RLD’s candidate, Tabassum Hasan, supported by SP and BSP won by a high margin.

It Is Important for the BJP to Fathom Voters’ Mood

BJP was trying hard to sell its narrative but whether it will sell, can’t be taken for granted. Voters are raising their issues and concerns. Politics over Jinnah has not turned fruitful. 

Sanjay Pugalia, Editorial Director, The Quint

All Eyes Were on Maharashtra

There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. In 2019, Maharashtra has been one of the most crucial states to look out for. Hence it is important to explain the ramifications of the results in the Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia bypolls. BJP has won Palgarh through its candidate who had quit Congress and joined BJP. The Congress-NCP combine did not go whole hog.

Who’s Ahead and Who’s Lagging Behind?

The bypoll results are a message for the BJP from the voters. The question of who will be opposition's candidate against Modi is no longer relevant. The bigger question is are people angry with the BJP or is there some sort of disappointment?