Himachal Pradesh bypolls: We accept people's mandate, will continue to fight for their welfare, says BJP

Shimla: The BJP, which won only one of the three seats in the Himachal Pradesh assembly bypolls on Saturday, said that it accepts people's mandate and would continue to fight for their welfare.

In a statement issued here, former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the party would look into the shortcomings which led to its defeat in the by-elections.

"We accept the people's mandate. Our fight for the welfare of the people of the state would continue from road to Vidhan Sabha," he said. Resigning and switching to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) proved costly for former Independent legislators Hoshiyar Singh and K L Thakur, who lost to Congress candidates in the Dehra and Nalagarh assembly seats, respectively.

BJP's Ashish Sharma, however, managed to win the assembly bypoll from Hamirpur seat as he secured 1,571 votes more than nearest rival and Congress candidate Pushpender Verma.