New Delhi, Feb 16 : BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday hailed the victory of NDA candidates in seven of the 12 assembly by-elections across eight states as a "victory of politics of development" over vote bank politics.

"Congratulations to our karyakartas (workers), BJP state units, all National Democratic Alliance allies, respective chief ministers and the people of the state over the unprecedented success in the assembly by-polls," Shah said in a statement here.

"I thank the people for reposing faith in the politics of development over vote bank politics and good governance of BJP," he added.

NDA candidates won in seven out of 12 seats, elections for which were held in eight states. The BJP won four seats.

Shah, on this occasion, took on the Congress and other opposition parties and dubbed them "anti-development groups".

"This victory is the mandate given by the people against all the baseless propaganda, criticism and negative politics of the opposition to obstruct the government's development works by blocking parliament and people have shown the real truth to such anti-development groups via this victory," Shah said.

Shah said there was anger among the public against the negative tendency of obstructing the country's development and economic progress by the Congress and its allies.

"People will continue to respond properly in the same manner in the coming days," he said.

Shah said the "people's court" has dismissed the ongoing unrestrained and baseless allegations of the Congress and reposed faith in the BJP by expressing their allegiance to development and good governance.

"Those who carry the ideology of anti-poor, anti-developmental negative politics, need to make serious introspection," he said.

NDA candidates seized three seats, Devadurga (Karnataka), Khadoor Sahib (Punjab) and Maihar (Madhya Pradesh) from Congress and one seat, Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) from Samajwadi Party.

Other than this, the BJP won with a huge margin the post of mayor in Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation in Uttar Pradesh.