Kolkata: In a major boost for the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the party on Thursday bagged all the three assembly seats where bypolls were held on November 25 by trouncing the BJP.

Kolkata: In the midst of Bengal BJP unit trying to put up a brave face as the ruling TMC won in all the three constituencies where the bypolls were held, one of its candidates said on Thursday that confusion over the proposed implementation of NRC has cost BJP seats.

Amid BJP's attempt to distance itself from MP Pragya Thakur's comment in praise of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, a party MLA here said Nathuram Godse committed a mistake but he was not a terrorist.

The BJP on Thursday retained the Pithoragarh assembly seat in Uttarakhand, defeating its nearest rival Congress by more than 3,000 votes.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the TMC's victory in the Assembly by-polls was in favour of "secularism and unity" and a "mandate against NRC". The TMC chief said, the BJP is getting paid back for its "arrogance" and for "insulting" the people of the state, after the party won two seats and took an unassailable lead in another.

Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Suresh Rathkheda on Thursday said if senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia floats a new political outfit, he will be the first to join it.

 West Bengal's ruling TMC on Thursday looked set to win all the three assembly seats bypolls for which were held on Monday, bagging Kaliaganj and Kharagpur Sadar, and establishing an unassailable lead in Karimpur.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will on Thursday evening join the league of seven leaders who got the chief minister's post in Maharashtra when they were still not member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council.