BYPOLL RESULTS: FIVE-NIL CREATES NO PANIC IN BJP

Political pundits caution against taking bypoll results seriously, for they are often won by the party in power in a particular state.

- Kaushik Deka

The BJP's defeat at the hands of the Samajwadi Party in the bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur in 2018 is an example. A year later, the saffron party won 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Thus, the drubbing the BJP got in the byelections held in five seats (one Lok Sabha and four assembly) in four states-West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh-may not worry it much. Barring Bihar, it's not in power in the other three. In Chhattisgarh, where the assembly poll is due next year, there is enough time to repair the damage. Besides, in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, the BJP has not lost its vote share.