 "No demonetisation setback for BJP in Madhya Pradesh bypolls")
Defying speculations on adverse impact of ongoing demonetisation, ruling BJP has retained Nepanagar Assembly and Shahdol Lok Sabha seats. The party candidate Manju Dadu defeated her next rival Antar Singh Barde of Congress party by a margin of 42,198 votes in Nepanagar Assembly seat, while tribal leader Gyan Singh of BJP defeated his next rival Himadri Dalbir Singh of Congress by more than 61,000 votes.
Manju bagged 99,626 votes while Barde secured 57,428 votes, an election official said. While Gyan Singh secured 4,21,617 votes against 3,60,120 votes snapped up by Himadri. The BJP fielded Manju Dadu, daughter of ex-member of legislative assembly late Rajendra Shyamlal Dadu whose death in an accident necessitated the bypoll.
The Shahdol reserved seat (ST) bypoll was necessitated following death of BJP member of Parliament Dalpat Singh Paraste who had wrested the seat from Congress's Rajesh Nandini Singh in 2014.
Gyan Singh, a senior minister in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet had won the Shahdol seat in 1996 and 1998 too.
Besides Congress and BJP, the Republican Party of India (A) (nominee Ms Revanta) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ber Singh) also contested the by-poll in Nepanagar. The reserved seat (ST) had recorded 71.25 per cent polling during the by-election held on November 19.
In Shahdol (reserved ST seat), Congress has fielded Himadri Singh, daughter of former Union Minister Dalbir Singh and ex-MP Rajesh Nandini Singh. There were 13921 NOTA votes in Shahdol while 3223 in Nepanagar Assembly seat.