Bypoll results: BJP snatches 2 SP seats in UP, AAP's shock loss in Punjab

The BJP wrested high-profile Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh from the Samajwadi Party and won three assembly seats, including that of Chief Minister Manik Saha, in Tripura in by-election results announced on Sunday.

While the AAP lost Punjab’s Sangrur parliamentary constituency, vacated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), it was able to retain Rajinder Nagar assembly seat in Delhi that party leader Raghav Chadha had given up after he was elected to Rajya Sabha.

In Uttar Pradesh, the opposition Samajwadi Party suffered a major setback as it lost to the BJP in its strongholds of Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats, vacated by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and party stalwart Azam Khan after they were elected to the Assembly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the BJP victory as "historic", asserting that this indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the "double engine" governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, a reference to the party being in power in both places.

Ruling candidate Ghanshyam Lodhi won the Rampur parliamentary seat by a margin of over 42,000 votes. He defeated Mohd Asim Raja, considered close to Azam Khan. In Azamgarh, BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ defeated Dharmendra Yadav by 8,679 votes. Dharmendra is a cousin of Akhilesh Yadav and a three-time MP. 

“'People have sent a message that they aren't ready to accept dynastic and casteist parties who incite communal tension,”' Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

Akhilesh Yadav, rankled by the defeat, lashed out at the BJP and accused it of murdering democracy.

"The chronology of murder of democracy in BJP rule: ... misuse of force to prevent voting, irregularities in counting, pressure on public representatives and dismantling the elected governments... .'' 

The Congress won a seat each in Tripura and Jharkhand, while the ruling YSR Congress emerged victorious in Atmakuru Assembly seat in Andhra Pradesh.