Narayan Rane loses in Maharashtra by-polls, SAD gains in Punjab

Mumbai/Lucknow, April 15
Maharashtra Congress strongman Narayan Rane was the biggest loser in the April 11 assembly by-polls for five seats in four states, even as the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra retained their seats.

In Punjab, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) gained a seat. The ruling Congress in Uttarakhand and Maharashtra's opposition NCP retained their seats in by-elections, the results of which were announced on Wednesday.

A former chief minister, Rane was trounced in Bandra East constituency by Trupti Sawant, widow of former Shiv Sena strongman Bala Sawant, raising a question mark on his political future.

This is Rane's second consecutive electoral defeat in six months, but president of Congress state unit Ashok Chavan described him as "a strong leader and a couple of losses don't matter for his stature".

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said: "We dedicate this victory to the people of Bandra East. (The late) Bala Sawant enjoyed a close rapport with his constituents... Who lost is not significant, it is a victory of principles."

Referring to the the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate who stood third in the by-election, Thackeray said even the Muslim voters have rejected that the party's attempts to create vote-bank politics.

In Punjab, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal improved its tally by bagging the Dhuri assembly seat previously held by the Congress.

Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Gobind Singh Longowal trounced the Congress-supported Sanjha Morcha nominee Simar Pratapsing Barnala, the grandson of former chief minister Surjit Singh Barnala.

The victory has helped Shiromani Akali Dal to get a simple majority of 59 in the 117-member assembly, where it is in an alliance with BJP.

In Uttarakhand, the ruling Congress retained the Bhagwanpur seat from where its candidate Mamta Rakesh trounced her nearest BJP rival Rajpal Singh by a margin of over 36,000 votes.

With Rakesh's victory, widow of former minister and sitting legislator Surendra Rakesh, the Congress has notched a tally of 36 members in the 70-member house.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat is running a coalition government with the support of smaller parties and Independents, but Wednesday's victory has given the Congress a simple majority on its own.

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party nominee Suman Patil won the by-poll in Tasgaon-Kavthemahankal assembly seat in Sangli district, necessitated by the death of her husband and former deputy chief minister R.R. Patil.

Riding on a sympathy wave and her late husband's popularity among the masses, Patil polled over 112,000 votes and trounced the BJP's rebel candidate Swapnil Patil.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party retained the Charkhari seat as its candidate Urmila Devi Rajput defeated her BJP rival Akhil Rajput with a margin of over 45,000 votes.

The by-poll was necessitated after the sitting Samajwadi Party legislator Kaptan Singh was convicted in a murder case and subsequently unseated as per rules.