New Delhi: The BJP was on Tuesday dealt a severe blow in its strongholds in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat when it lost 13 of the 23 seats held by it there while the Congress put up a surprise showing in two of these states in the Assembly by-elections.
Considered yet another test of popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tuesday’s reverses come on top of the BJP’s disappointing performance in the assembly by-elections in Bihar, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh in the last two months.
Out of the 32 Assembly seats across nine states for which counting of votes was taken up on Tuesday, BJP won 12, Congress seven and Samajwadi Party eight while TDP, Trinamool Congress, AIUDF and CPI(M) bagged one each.
One seat in Sikkim was won by an Independent.
Counting in Antagarh in Chhattisgarh will be taken up on September 20. (PTI)
