KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR…

Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Tabassum Hasan after winning the Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll on Thursday. The Congress has realised the BJP can be defeated if the opposition parties join hands

The party is willing to play second or third fiddle in UP to ensure the BJP does not repeat its 2014 or 2017 performance in the state

The victory of the Kairana candidate has weakened the party’s bargaining power in terms of seat-sharing in UP

Coming soon after forming a coalition government with the JD(S) in Karnataka, the bypoll results are a boost for the party ahead of assembly elections in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh

The results also give a fresh handle to the party to step up its attacks against the BJP in and outside Parliament The BJP is relieved at retaining a large chunk of its support base, but worried over the success of Opposition unity

The ability of the Jat and Muslim communities, who were at loggerheads till recently, to vote for a common candidate has it alarmed

The party’s defeats in Western UP (Kairana), Eastern UP (Gorakhpur) and Kanpur region (Phulpur) expose its vulnerability

In Maharashtra, it benefited from division of votes in Palghar, but lost in Bhandragondiya in a direct contest

Insiders stress on the need for an outreach to backward communities and the SCS, besides addressing critical issues such as jobs