Shimla, Nov 10 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday bagged one seat and the opposition Congress one in the assembly by-elections held last week.
Congress candidate Sujan Singh Pathania won the Jawali seat by 5,249 votes, whereas the BJP’s Khushi Ram Balnatah won from Rohru by a margin of 8,473 votes, state chief electoral officer Anil Khachi told IANS.

Pathania got 25,168 votes while his nearest rival Baldev Raj Chaudhary of the BJP polled 19,919 votes in Jawali.

In Rohru, Balnatah got 27,705 votes and Congress’ Manjit Singh 19,232 votes, Khachi said.

The BJP has won Rohru, the stronghold of Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh, for the first time.

While the Rohru seat in Shimla district fell vacant after five-time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh (Congress) was elected to the Lok Sabha, the by-election in Jawali in Kangra district was necessitated when Rajan Sushant of the BJP won the Lok Sabha election.