Bypolls result no barometer for things to come, says Sushil Kumar Modi

PATNA: Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi today sought to downplay the results/trends in three parliamentary and 33 assembly seats, the counting for which was underway.

"The results/trends during counting of votes for three parliamentary and 33 assembly seats across several states are not a barometer for things to come in future nor does it have anything to do with the past results," Modi told reporters in reply to a question.

The results/trends must be seen as isolated cases reflecting local issues and equations, Modi said, adding it has nothing to do with the general elections or performance of the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The by-poll results will also have no bearing on assembly polls to be held in Maharashtra, Haryana and other states later this year or next year, the senior BJP leader, under whose leadership the party put up a rather unimpressive show winning four of ten assembly seats in bypolls recently, claimed.

Modi argued the by-poll results should not be seen in the context of approval of the NDA government's performance or lack of it saying that neither the prime minister nor top BJP leaders had campaigned in the poll-bound parliamentary and assembly constituencies as was the case with the Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who too had refrained from canvassing for their party candidates.