Two Steps Back Before a Giant Leap: Rajnath Plays Down Bypoll Loss

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav dubbed the BJP’s bypoll setback as a “defeat for those who do not believe in democracy”.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and SP chief Akilesh Yadav.

(Photo: PTI/Reuters/Altered by The Quint)

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh sought to play down the BJP’s setback in the bypolls held across 10 states, the results of which were declared on Thursday, 31 May, saying that if one is to “take a giant leap, you will have to first take two steps back”.

In an apparent reference to the 2019 general elections, Singh added, “We will take a giant leap in the future.”

Among the four parliamentary constituencies where bypolls were held on Monday, the BJP lost to the RLD candidate in UP’s Kairana and to the NCP in Maharashtra’s Bhandara Gondia. BJP’s only significant victory came in Palghar in Maharashtra, where it was up against its estranged ally Shiv Sena. Meanwhile, of the 10 Assembly seats where bypolls were held, the BJP won only one – in Uttarakhand’s Tharali.

People Have Given Yogi Adityanath a Befitting Reply: Shiv Sena

Along with various opposition leaders, the Shiv Sena too wasted no time to slam the BJP for its poor showing in the bypolls.

Taking a dig at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for having campaigned in Maharashtra while losing in his own state, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray said:

<i>Janta ne Yogi ji ki masti utaardi hai</i> (The people have given a befitting reply to Yogi Adiyanath).

Uddhav Thackeray

Thackeray also alleged that there were discrepancies in the counting for the Palghar constituency and pointed out to “corruption” in the Election Commission.

Whatever I have said about our democracy, election process and the threats to them, is very serious.

Uddhav Thackeray

A Defeat for Those Who Do Not Believe in Democracy: Akhilesh Yadav

With the Samajwadi Party wresting away the Noorpur Assembly seat in UP from the BJP, the former’s chief Akhilesh Yadav dubbed it as a “defeat for those who do not believe in democracy”.

People have given a befitting reply to the BJP… We have learnt from the BJP the game that they used to play with us. It was said that farmers will get a loan waiver, but did that happen? Instead, farmers lost their lives. This is a big betrayal.

Akhilesh Yadav

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the drubbing of the BJP in the bypolls reflects the anger against the Modi government.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said until now the people were asking who was the alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but results state that they want to remove him.

"Today's results reflect that there is a lot of anger against the Modi government. Until now, people were asking what is the option. Today, people are saying Modi ji is not an alternative. Remove him first,” he tweeted.

What if Modi Lost Kairana. He is Winning in Indonesia: Yashwant Sinha

Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the party’s bypoll defeat in Kairana and Bhandara Gondia.

A known critic of the Modi administration, Sinha put out a sarcastic tweet saying, “What if Modi has lost Kairana etc. He is winning in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore,” referring to the Prime Minister’s recent visit to the south Asian countries.

Sinha was a senior leader of the BJP before he quit the party in April this year.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)