The Congress party has won the Kasba Peth assembly seat in Maharashtra’s by-polls, which is considered to be a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The victory for Congress comes as a surprise as the party has been struggling in the state and has lost several elections in recent years. The seat was vacated by BJP MLA Dilip Kamble, who resigned to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ahead of the polls.
Congress candidate Arvind Shinde secured 42,913 votes, while BJP candidate Sunil Kamble received 35,604 votes. The by-polls were held on 30 January, and the counting took place on 2 February.
The Congress’s victory is being seen as a boost for the party’s morale ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. The by-polls were also crucial for the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance as they aimed to maintain their hold on power in the state.
The by-polls were held for five seats in Maharashtra, including Kasba Peth, Pandharpur-Mangalvedha, Palus Kadegaon, Ausa, and Wardha. The results have been a mixed bag for the ruling alliance and the opposition parties. The BJP retained Pandharpur-Mangalvedha and Ausa seats, while the NCP won Palus Kadegaon, and the Shiv Sena won Wardha.