Left parties suffer yet another blow in Assembly bypolls

New Delhi, Nov 10 (PTI) The ruling Left Front in India's
eastern state of West Bengal Tuesday appeared heading for
another debacle in the assembly bypolls at the hands of
Trinamool Congress and Congress party even as it was routed in
southern state of Kerala where Congress party retained all the
three seats.
In the lone Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament)
by-election in Firozabad in northern state of Uttar Pradesh,
actor-turned-Congress party candidate Raj Babbar was leading
by 6,870 votes over Dimple Yadav, daughter-in-law of Samajwadi
Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, at the end of three
rounds of counting. The seat fell vacant when Dimple's husband
Akhilesh Yadav retained Kannauj and gave up Firozabad.
Of the 31 assembly seats spread over Uttar Pradesh (11),
West Bengal (10), Kerala (3) and two each in northeastern
state of Assam, northern states of Himachal Pradesh and
Rajasthan besides one in central state of Chhattisgarh that
went to polls on Saturday, Congress party won one seat each in
Rajasthan, Assam and Himachal Pradesh, besides the three in
Kerala.
In West Bengal, TC-Congress combine bagged five of the 10
seats and was ahead of their Left rivals in three other
constituencies.
Continuing with its impressive performance in the Lok
Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) polls, the Congress-led
United Democratic Front (UDF) retained all three assembly
seats where bypolls were held, defeating ruling Left
Democratic Front (LDF).
In Uttar Pradesh, ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
candidates were leading in Powayan, Isauli, Hainsar Bazar,
Etawah and Bharthana after six-seven rounds of counting, poll
authorities said. All these seats were held by SP.
Congress party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won two
seats each in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, while in Assam,
Congress wrested one seat from Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
(More) PTI