Bypolls results: Lotus blooms in four seats, Congress faces another setback

The BJP's bypoll win in four of the six seats it contested has invigorated the party ahead of assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. It has given tough competition to erstwhile ally Nitish Kumar's Grand Alliance in Bihar and ended the BJD's winning run in Odisha.

The Congress drew a blank in the seven assembly constituencies -- Adampur, Gola Gokarannath, Dhamnagar, Andheri (East), Mokama, Gopalganj and Munugode -- in six states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha and Telangana that went to polls on November 3. The results were declared on Sunday.

While the TRS managed to get a foothold by winning the high-stakes bypoll to Munugode Assembly constituency, it had to overcome a spirited challenge from the BJP.

The bypoll assumed immense political significance as it was seen as a virtual semi-final ahead of next year's Legislative Assembly polls in Telangana.

The TRS, recently renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), took it as a prestige issue as a loss would