Cong wrests Gurdaspur LS seat from BJP-SAD; UDF ally wins Vengara bypoll

The Congress party on Sunday wrested the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha (LS) seat in Punjab from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alliance. Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar defeated the BJP’s candidate by a victory margin of 1,93,219 votes. The Congress had won the Assembly polls in March to end the 10-year BJP-SAD rule in the state. With the win in Gurdaspur, the Congress tally has now increased to 46 in the LS.

In an Assembly bypoll in Kerala’s Vengara, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) candidate retained the seat. The IUML is a key partner of the