In four by-poll results, Congress foresees bye-bye threat in 2014

Congress is in trouble. One need not go either to a political expert or to an astrologer to predict that the 2014 general elections will not be a cakewalk for the Congress. The party lost the poll battle today on multiple fronts and in multiple locations for one reason or another. India’s oldest party literally had its respect at stake in Haryana’s Hisar where its candidate Jai Parkash ended in a miserable third position, losing by  a yawning margin. Hisar (Haryana) Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Haryana Janhit Congress candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi won the seat comfortably by 23,000 votes leaving Indian National Lok Dal contestant Ajay Chautala tottering in second position. Although pundits and public credit Team Anna for Bishnoi’s victory, the winner himself was not willing to share the credit. [caption id=“attachment_109613” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Marked in or kicked out. Reuters”]  [/caption] Prominent members of the Hazare brigade including Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal had urged the electorate to vote against the Congress on the pretext of the party’s indecisiveness on Lokpal. That indeed helped Bishnoi, who is the political heir of former state chief minister Bhajan Lal. The death of Lal necessitated the by-poll. Bishnoi secured 3,55,941 votes followed by Chautala with 3,49,618 votes and way behind was Congress’ Jai Parkash, who polled 1,49,785 votes. It was essentially a triangular contest in a field with 40 candidates and a total electorate of 13.32 lakh, a PTI report said. Parkash, who was third in 2009 as well, won 2.04 lakh votes during that fray. Parkash however blamed caste politics rather than Team Anna for his defeat though the margin of defeat in noteworthy. “The caste factor undid me,” he said to Hindustan Times. The 13 October poll saw 70 percent voting with about 9.3 lakh voters exercising their right to franchise. Banswada (Andhra Pradesh) The dilly-dallying over Telangana has already started damaging the poll prospects of the Sonia Gandhi-led party. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) candidate Srinivas Reddy got 83,845 votes to pip Congress nominee Sangem Srinivas Goud to win the Banswada assembly by-election. Goud received 33,356 votes and lost the fray by 49,889 votes today. Khadakwasla (Maharashtra) Harshada Rameshbhau Wanjale, who was a Nationalist Congress Party-Congress joint candidate lost the poll to Bhimrao Dhondiba Tapkir Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Republican Party of India by 3,625 votes. The poll result is seen as a setback to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who brought Wanjale to the NCP. Significantly, the BJP used Anna’s struggle against corruption as a poll weapon even though the team was not involved here as in Hisar. Daraunda (Bihar) Congress’ Kalika Sharan Singh could not bring smiles to the party today as he lost the assembly by-poll to Janata Dal (United) candiadte Kavita Kumari. The JD(U) candidate won the seat by 20, 000 votes. Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Parmeshwar Singh was third.