Congress loses Hisar Lok Sabha seat, 3 Assembly bypolls

NEW DELHI: Apart from the severe drubbing in the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency, Congress lost all the three Assembly bypolls, results of which were declared today.

Out of the three Assembly seats, BJP won Khadakwasala in Maharashtra and its NDA ally JD(U) in Daraunda in Bihar while TRS bagged the Banswada seat in Andhra Pradesh.

In the prestigious Hisar Lok Sabha by-election in Haryana, Haryana Janhit Congress-BJP combine nominee Kuldeep Bishnoi won in a closely-fought battle in which Team Anna sought a crushing defeat for the Congress that finished a poor third.

Bishnoi (42), son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal whose death caused the bypoll, retained the seat for the party defeating his nearest rival INLD's Ajay Singh Chautala (50), son of former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala, by a margin of 6,323 votes, out of the over nine lakh votes polled.

Ruling Congress nominee and three-time MP from Hisar Jai Prakash (58), a former Union Minister, finished third. He had won the seat last in 2004.

In the Banswada Assembly by-poll in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Rashtra Samiti candidate Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy defeated ruling Congress' Srinivas Goud by a margin of 49,889 votes.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of sitting TDP MLA Pocharam in March this year. He had quit his Assembly membership as well as the Telugu Desam Party on the statehood issue and joined the TRS.

In a setback to ruling Congress-NCP combine in Maharashtra, BJP won the Khadakwasla Assembly bypoll in Pune district.