Politicians Need To Learn From Kairana Poll Winning & Losing Candidates’ Response

Tabassum Hasan of Rashtriya Lok Dal won the Kairana Lok Sabha by-elections against BJP candidate Mriganka Singh. Hasan was the face of the joint opposition comprising of Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. This is BJP’s second successive loss in by-poll after Gorakhpur and Phoolpur.

Hasan managed to garner more than 55,000 votes compared to her nearest rival, Singh. These by-elections are touted as the “semifinal” of the 2019 elections.

What followed the results of the by-elections was a cordial exchange between the two candidates. Mriganka Singh is the daughter of BJP leader Hukum Singh who passed away in February this year because of which she was fielded as the candidate in his place.

Mriganka Singh went on to congratulate the Hasan for the win and said that she “respects the mandate”.

I am disappointed for letting down my supporters. I congratulate the Opposition candidate for winning. Respect the mandate. Will continue the legacy of father Hukum Singh: BJP's Kairana candidate Mriganka Singh concedes defeat #bypoll https://t.co/JQJlKZeiOk pic.twitter.com/bMnqVlVgiQ

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) May 31, 2018

Responding to the Singh’s congratulatory message, Hasan said that “If I am the daughter-in-law of Kairana, she is Kairana’s daughter.”

In Kairana, forget who won, who lost. Bigger story is mature and wonderful response of victor and vanquished. While BJP candidate who lost congratulated RLD nominee, the RLD candidate said this: "If I am daughter-in-law of Kairana, she is Kairana's daughter." More power to them.

— Maneesh Chhibber (@maneeshchhibber) May 31, 2018

Tabassum Hasan’s husband Munawwar Hasan was a popular leader in Kairana and had an intense rivalry with Hukum Singh.

The assembly seats where the by-elections were held on May 28 are Noorpur (Uttar Pradesh), Jokihat (Bihar), Tharali (Uttarakhand), Gomia and Silli (Jharkhand), Maheshtala (West Bengal), Ampati (Meghalaya), Palus Kadegaon (Maharashtra), Shahkot (Punjab) and Chengannur (Kerala).

The Logical Indian take

This cordiality between the candidates comes as a breath of fresh air, especially in times like these when politicians leave no stone unturned to defame each and indulge in mudslinging. The recent Karnataka election is the testament of this. Instead of talking about developmental and welfare issues, politicians generally resort to polarising people on the issue of caste and religion.

The Logical Indian hopes that these two leaders set an example and this trend continue.