Himachal bypolls: Huge setback for BJP, Congress wins in Mandi, all 3 Assembly seats

In a huge setback for the BJP, the Congress in Himachal Pradesh won the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll as well as all three Assembly constituencies of Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai in the bypolls that were held on October 30.

Kargil war hero Brigadier (retd) Khushal Thakur of the BJP lost to rival Pratibha Singh of the Congress in the Mandi parliamentary seat in the state. Pratibha Singh is the widow of late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Counting of votes for the recently held by-elections in Himachal Pradesh for Mandi Lok Sabha and three Vidhan Sabha seats of Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai is underway amid tight security.

The state’s ruling BJP is trailing in Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai seats. In the latter seat, the main contest is between BJP rebel and Independent Chetan Bragta and Congress Rohit Thakur. BJP candidate Neelam Sarek is trailing with a huge margin.

Bragta is the son of the late Narendra Bragta, a former horticulture minister.

The main contest in other seats is between the BJP and Congress.