By-polls: BJP wins Luni, Cong Nagpur (South)

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won the Luni assembly constituency in Rajasthan, while the Congress emerged victorious in Nagpur (south) and the Shiv Sena in Solapur (south) in Maharashtra in the by-elections held on January 24.

In Luni, BJP nominee Jogaram Patel defeated his nearest Congress rival Malkhan Singh by 4,359 votes. Patel had 52,363 votes in his favour.

The seat fell vacant due to the death of senior Congress leader and sitting member of Legislative Assembly Ram Singh Bishnoi.

With this win, the strength of the BJP in the 200-member house has risen to 121. The Congress has 55 members.
                  
In Nagpur (south), Dinanath Padole of Congress defeated his nearest
rival Ashok Mankar of the BJP by 2,227 votes. Padole polled 30,073 votes, official sources said.

The seat fell vacant following the demise of Govind Wanjari.
                                                             
Shiv Sena candidate Ratikant Patil bagged the Solapur (south) assembly seat by defeating his nearest rival Rajshekhar Shivdare of the Congress by 1,609 votes. Patil secured 50,791 votes.

The seat fell vacant after former Maharashtra chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde was appointed the governor of Andhra Pradesh in November last year.