Sandeshkhali Victim, BJP's Rekha Patra, Loses Basirhat By 3.3 Lakh Votes

In a clear sign of West Bengal rejecting the BJP's attempts to make the alleged sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali a poll issue, the party's candidate from Basirhat has lost the Lok Sabha polls to the Trinamool Congress's pick by a big margin.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress candidate Bhupesh Baghel suffered a defeat from sitting BJP MP Santosh Pandey in the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 44,411 votes.

In a significant political development, the Congress candidates wrested both the Lok Sabha seats in Manipur from the ruling BJP and its ally Naga People's Front (NPF) on Saturday.

Defying last week's exit poll predictions, the Congress-led INDIA bloc gave tough competition to the incumbent BJP-led NDA government. However, the BJP-led NDA is ahead on 292 seats and is set to form government from a third consecutive term.

At least four BJP leaders have recorded the highest victory margin in the Lok Sabha polls, with Indore MP Shankar Lalwani winning with a margin of over 11.72 lakh votes.

BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh, the previous West Bengal state president of the saffron party, was defeated in Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of 1,37,981 votes, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.