Madhya Pradesh bypolls: BJP candidate Ramakant Bhargava won the Budhni bypoll in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. Bhargava, a former Lok Sabha MP, defeated the Congress' Rajkumar Patel by a margin of 13,901 votes. Chouhan had won from Budhni in the 2023 assembly polls by a margin of 1.04 lakh votes. He had also won the seat in 1990, 2006, 2008, 2013 and 2018. Patel had won from Budhni in 1993.
Meanwhile, minister Ramniwas Rawat lost to the Congress' Mukesh Malhotra by a margin of 7,364 votes in the Vijaypur assembly bypoll. Rawat had won the seat on a Congress ticket in the 2023 assembly polls but then switched over to the BJP, which made him forest minister in the Mohan Yadav government. Rawat had won from Vijaypur in Sheopur district as a Congress candidate in 1990, 1993, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2023.
The bypoll to Vijaypur seat in Sheopur district was necessitated after sitting Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat joined the BJP and was made minister in the Mohan Yadav cabinet. The bypoll to Budhni seat is required since MLA and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was elected to the Lok Sabha and is now Union agriculture minister.
77.85 per cent voter turnout
Voter turnouts of 77.85 per cent and 77.32 per cent were recorded till 6 pm in byelections in Vijaypur and Budhni assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh.
BJP had fielded former Vidisha MP and Chouhan loyalist Ramakant Bhargava from Budhni against Congress’ former state minister Rajkumar Patel, in Vijaypur Rawat will take on Congress’ Mukesh Malhotra, a senior tribal leader.
In the Budhni bypoll, the BJP had fielded former Vidisha MP and Shivraj Singh Chouhan loyalist Ramakant Bhargava, who contested against Congress' former state minister Rajkumar Patel. Meanwhile, in the Vijaypur bypoll, BJP's Ram Niwas Rawat was up against Congress’ senior tribal leader Mukesh Malhotra.
Budhni and Vijaypur assembly constituencies
Budhni is the constituency number 156 of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. It is one of the Assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh Sehore district. It is one of the Assembly seats that make up the Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency. The Budhni Assembly constituency is a General seat.
In 2023 assembly elections,former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan won the seat by a huge margin. As per the Election Commission, Chouhan garnered a total of 1,64,951 votes and defeated his rival and Congress candidate Vikram Mastal Sharma by a margin of 10,4974 votes.
Vijaypur is the constituency number 2 of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. It is one of the Assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh Sheopur district. It is one of the Assembly seats that make up the Morena Lok Sabha constituency. The Vijaypur Assembly constituency is a General seat.