New Delhi:
The Congress on Thursday wrested back its traditional Jhabua Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh from the BJP in the bypoll for the constituency. Congress candidate and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria won by margin of over 27,804 votes, defeating BJP's Bhanu Bhuria, who was contesting his maiden election, an official said.
Kantilal Bhuria polled 96,155 votes while his BJP rival got 68,351 votes, the official said. The Congress lost the seat to BJP in last year's Assembly polls when BJP's G S Damor defeated Kantilal Bhuria's son Vikrant Bhuria by 10,437 votes.
However, the BJP leader fielded Damor in the general elections from Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat, which he won by defeating Kantilal Bhuria. Later, Damor resigned from Jhabua assembly seat which necessitated by-poll in the tribal dominated constituency.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath termed the result in Jhabua as the victory of people's confidence in the Congress and his government. "People have expressed faith in the government's work and have given their seal of approval for it. It is a gift of Diwali to Congress by the voters of Jhabua," he said.
Kantilal Bhuriatermed it as "a victory of chief minister Kamal Nath and his works and expressed his gratitude towards him". Asked whether he would become minister in the Nath cabinet, he said, "It is the prerogative of chief minister to make a person minister or not."Â
