The results of the Assembly by-elections to Valpoi and Panaji in Goa and Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh were along expected lines, but Bawana in Delhi sprung a surprise.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar won the Panaji seat, defeating Congress rival Girish Chodankar by 4,803 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Vishwajit Rane, who had quit the Congress soon after the Assembly elections, retained the Valpoi seat, defeating his Congress rival Roy Naik by 10,066 votes, taking the ruling party’s tally in the 40-member House to 14. Congress is still the largest party in the Assembly, with 16 seats.
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