Sun Nov 24 04:50:00 UTC 2024: ## BJP Wins Nanded Bypoll, Dealing Major Blow to Congress

**Nanded, Maharashtra –** The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a significant victory in the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll, wresting the seat from the Congress by a decisive margin of nearly 40,000 votes. This win boosts the BJP’s parliamentary strength to 241 seats.

Santukrao Hambarde, the BJP candidate, defeated Congress rival Ravindra Chavan, son of the late sitting MP Vasant Chavan. The bypoll was necessitated by Vasant Chavan’s death in August. The result marks a dramatic turnaround for the BJP in Nanded, where the Congress had won by over 50,000 votes just five months prior.

The victory signifies a resurgence for the BJP in Maharashtra, where their Lok Sabha seat count had dropped significantly in the 2024 general elections. The Nanded win brings their total number of Lok Sabha seats in the state to 10.

For the Congress, the loss represents a major setback. The party had hoped to build on recent gains but this result instead sees their Lok Sabha seat projection fall to 15, a considerable drop from 2019. The loss in Nanded, previously considered a Congress stronghold, underscores the shifting political landscape in Maharashtra. The BJP’s win is also noteworthy given that Pratap Patil Chikhalikar, who previously held the Nanded seat for the BJP, recently joined the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

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