Sir — A string of losses in the by-elections is an indication that the BJP is on a shaky ground in the run-up to the general elections next year. It also indicates that BJP cannot take the Opposition unity lightly and it will have to chalk out an out-of-the-box strategy for another term.
While factors such as high fuel prices or the agrarian crisis may have played a part, the main drivers of the results were alliance arithmetic and local factors. Rashtriya lok Dal (RlD) candidate Tabassum Hasan’s victory also points to the fact that BJP candidate Mriganka Singh failed to get sympathy votes of the Jats. Although in elections, simple arithmetic of all votes of a combined Opposition adding up does not work, BJP will have to wake up to the reality of being outnumbered in a bipolar poll.