Lok Sabha bypoll results 2018: NCP inches ahead of BJP in Bhandara-Gondia, RLD leads in Kairana

With the initial trends of the Lok Sabha bypoll results 2018 coming in, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading on two seats in Maharashtra – Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia. The saffron party, which had campaigned relentlessly in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, is trailing on the seat where it has fielded Mriganka Singh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was initially leading in both Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, is now trailing in the latter. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has taken lead in Bhandara-Gondia. However, the BJP has extended its lead in Palghar. In Kairana, BJP's Mriganka Singh is trailing against Tabassum Hasan of the RLD, which has been backed by the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Tabassum is reportedly leading by over 10,000 votes.

Elections were necessitated in Kairana after the seat fell vacant in February following the death of BJP leader Hukum Singh. The BJP fielded Mriganka Singh, daughter of Singh, from the seat.

In Maharashtra’s Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia seats, all four major parties - BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress - left no stone unturned to woo the electorates in their favour during the campaign.

In Maharashtra, Palghar is a reserved seat, which was previously held by the BJP. The seat fell vacant after sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanga died in January. Chintaman Wanga had been elected from the constituency thrice as a BJP member. However, after his death, his family joined hands with the Shiv Sena. Initially, the Shiv Sena was leader from the seat.

Bhandara-Gondia by-election was necessitated when BJP’s sitting MP Nana Patole quit the party to join the Congress in December 2017.