MP by-poll results: Congress retains Mungaoli, Kolaras with huge margins

The Congress party has retained Mungaoli Assembly seat in a by-poll by a margin of over 2,000 votes, a poll official said. Congress' Brijendra Singh Yadav beat BJP's Bai Sahib by 2,124 votes.

Brajendra Singh Yadav got 70,808 votes while the BJP candidate, Baisahab Yadav, bagged 68,684, the official said.

Congress also retained Kolaras Assembly seat with a margin of over 8,000 votes

A total of 22 candidates from Mungaoli and 13 from Kolaras were in the fray for the February 24 polls.

There was 77.25 per cent voting recorded in Mungaoli and 72.82 per cent in Kolaras on Saturday.

Both these seats were keenly contested in a prestige battle between the two parties ahead of the assembly polls in the state due later in 2018.

Mungaoli and Kolaras saw high-voltage campaigns from the ruling BJP and the Congress which is keen to retain both seats.

While Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan led the BJP campaign with a host of ministers, Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia led the opposition attack.

Both the seats fall under Scindia's parliamentary constituency Guna and were earlier held by the Congress.

The BJP that has been in power for 15 years in the state pitched for development in the Congress bastion. Having lost two assembly bypolls to the Congress last year, the BJP was keen on recovering lost ground.

The assembly seats fell vacant after the death of sitting Congress MLAs Mahendra Singh Kalukheda (Mungaoli) and Ram Singh Yadav (Kolaras).