Rajasthan bypolls: Congress wins Sahada and Sujangarh; BJP retains Rajsamand
Jaipur, May 2: The Congress won the bypolls in Sahada and Sujangarh on Sunday and the BJP in Rajsamand, with both parties retaining the seats in Rajasthan that fell vacant after the death of their MLAs last year.
The by-elections to the seats were held on April 17 and according to official figures, the the voter turnout was over 60.37 per cent.
Congress' Gayatri Devi defeated BJP nominee Ratanlal Jat by 42,200 votes in Sahada, Election Commission (EC) figures stated.
The Sahada seat fell vacant after Devi's husband and MLA Kailash Trivedi died in October last year after contracting COVID-19.
In Sujangarh, Congress' Manoj Meghwal defeated BJP's Khemaram Meghwal by 33,611 votes, according to the EC.
The bypoll to the seat was necessitated following the death of Manoj Meghwal's father and MLA Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal in November last year.
In Rajsamand, BJP's Deepti Maheshwari defeated Congress candidate Tansukh Bohara by 5,310 votes, the EC stated.
The bypoll was necessitated after the death of her father and MLA Kiran Maheshwari in November last year due to COVID-19.
The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, led by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, stood third in all the three seats.
In Sujangarh, the party candidate got 21.07 per cent votes (32,210); in Sahada, Badri Lal Jat got 8.71 per cent votes (12,231); and in Rajsamand, Prahlad Khatana got 1.04 per cent votes (1,551).
The polling percentage for the Sujangarh by-election was recorded at 58.21 per cent, Rajsamand registered 67.23 per cent polling, and Sahada, 56.60 per cent. A total of 44,98,85 voters exercised their franchise.
In the 2018 assembly elections, the polling percentage of Sahada was 73.56, Sujangarh had recorded 70.68 per cent polling, and Rajsamand 76.59 per cent.
Expressing gratitude to the people, and congratulating all Congress workers and leaders, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "The people of the region have given more strength to his government by giving their blessings and support to Congress candidates."
In another tweet, he congratulated Gayatri Devi from Sahada and Manoj Meghwal from Sujangarh on their win.
The party fought the elections unitedly in Rajsamand, and there the victory margin was quite normal, Gehlot said.
Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra said the Congress won with a major vote share in Sahada and Sujangarh, and lost by a small margin in Rajsamand.
He said that the people voted for good work and development done by the state government.
"After 2.5 years of government tenure, the increase in 10 per cent votes shows the party's popularity and good governance. We will not let people's faith weaken in the government and the organization, Dotasra said.
BJP state president Satish Poonia said, We accept the peoples' mandate. We will review the shortcomings. But this is not victory of the Congress or its government as the local equations played the major role.
He added that the BJP fought unitedly and remained successful in retaining its Rajsamand seat.
BJP MLA and election in-charge for Rajsamand, Vasudev Devnani, said that it is victory of party workers and achievement of the Centre.
He said that despite all the misuse of government machinery, people came out in support of BJP candidate.
The by-election results have no bearing on the stability of the Ashok Gehlot government, which enjoys comfortable majority in the assembly.
In the 200-seat assembly in the state, currently the Congress now has 106 MLAs, while the BJP has 72, three RLP MLAs and two MLAs each of CPI-M and BTP and 13 independents. One seat Vallabhnagar is vacant where bypoll is due.
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India, Vietnam elevate ties to enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership; set USD 25 bn
New Delhi (PTI): India and Vietnam on Wednesday elevated their ties to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership and set a USD 25 billion annual trade target by 2030 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President To Lam held talks focusing on expanding bilateral ties in areas of trade, defence, and critical minerals in the face of increasing geopolitical upheavals.
Following the Modi-Lam meeting, the two sides signed as many as 13 agreements which will provide for deeper two ways engagements in a range of areas including digital payments, rare earth minerals, pharmaceuticals, education, banking and culture.
Modi and Lam also deliberated on the situation in the Indo-Pacific amid China's increasing assertiveness in the region, and agreed to continue to contribute to the rule-of-law, peace, stability, and prosperity.
It is understood that China's growing military muscle-flexing in the South China Sea also figured in the delegation-level talks between the two sides.
Elected as president earlier this month, Lam began his first state visit to India on Tuesday, leading a high-level delegation for a three-day trip.
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"A decade ago, Vietnam became India's first comprehensive strategic partner in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) . Since then, our relations have made rapid and comprehensive progress," Modi said in his media statement.
"Building on this strong foundation, today we are elevating our relations to the level of Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We will now advance our partnership to even higher goals," he said.
"Our cooperation will reach new levels in every area ' culture, connectivity, and capacity building, as well as security, sustainability, and supply chain resilience," Modi added.
He noted that the bilateral trade between India and Vietnam has doubled in the last decade to reach USD 16 billion and that the target now is to increase it to USD 25 billion by 2030.
Modi also cited a plethora of agreements signed between the two countries to emphasis that the economic engagement is expected to witness a significant upswing going forward.
"The MoU between our drug authorities will now increase access to Indian medicines in Vietnam. Exports of Indian agricultural, fisheries, and animal products to Vietnam are also set to become easier. Very soon, Vietnam will taste India's grapes and pomegranates," he said.
The two sides also agreed to update the India-ASEAN trade agreement by the end of this year.
"This will provide a new impetus to trade and investment between India and all ASEAN countries. New initiatives in critical minerals, rare earths, and energy cooperation will ensure the economic security and supply chain resilience of both countries," Modi said.
"To boost financial connectivity, we have today decided to enhance cooperation between our central banks. India's UPI and Vietnam's fast payment systems will soon be linked. Furthermore, we are strengthening state-to-state and city-to-city cooperation between the two countries," he noted.
Modi said India is grateful to Vietnam for its strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and standing with India in its fight against terrorism.
"In this era of global turmoil and economic challenges, thanks to their talent, good governance, and economic reforms, India and Vietnam are emerging as the world's fastest-growing economies," he said.
"Now, through our enhanced strategic partnership, we will support each other's rapid growth. As the Buddha's teachings say, 'If you light a lamp for someone else, it also illuminates your own path'," Modi said.
He also described Vietnam a a key pillar of India's Act East Policy and Vision Ocean.
"In the Indo-Pacific region as well, we share a common outlook. Through our strengthening defence and security cooperation, we will continue to contribute to the rule-of-law, peace, stability, and prosperity," he said.
The prime minister said India will broaden its relations with ASEAN with Vietnam's cooperation.
In his remarks, Lam said both sides agreed to deepen political trust and elevate security cooperation.
Last year, the two sides inked a pact to set up a framework for submarine search, rescue and support mechanism. They also signed a letter of intent (LoI) to strengthen bilateral defence industry collaboration.
