Sena victory in Ramtek encouraging for saffron alliance: Gadkari

Nagpur, Apr 13 (UNI) The victory of the Shiv Sena in the by-election to the Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra was encouraging for the saffron alliance, according to BJP state unit president Nitin Gadkari.

Mr Gadkari, in a statement here yesterday, said the saffron alliance's victory in the constituency came close on the heels of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections.

The win in Ramtek would enthuse the workers of the Shiv Sena as well as the BJP. The result has demonstrated that turncoats did not find favour with the electorate.

He said the Sena's victory in Ramtek was a mandate against the rule of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine government in the state. The electorate in Jalgaon had also reposed faith in the BJP, he added.

The Shiv Sena won the by-election to the Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency yesterday, with its nominee Prakash Jadhav defeating his nearest rival Subodh Mohite of the Congress by a margin of 32,572 votes.

Mr Jadhav polled 2,31,241 votes against Mr Mohite's 1,98,699 votes, while Congress rebel Ranjit Deshmukh, who contested as an independent, polled 79,638 votes. A total of 12 candidates were in the fray.

The by-election was held because Mr Mohite, who was elected in 2004 on a Shiv Sena ticket, resigned from the party and the House to join the Congress.

UNI