Mumbai, Malwan, Thiruvananthapuram

by-election results

     Mumbai/Thiruvananthapuram: Narayan Rane, Priya Dutt and Pannyan Raveendran have won the Lok Sabha by-elections in Mumbai, Malwan and Thiruvananthapuram. Maharashtra Revenue Minister and Congress candidate Narayan Rane defeated Shiv Sena's Parshuram Uparkar in Malwan constituency, while the late Sunil Dutt's daughter Priya Dutt, who was fielded from North-West Mumbai constituency, won by 1,72,053 votes over veteran Shiv Sena leader Madhukar Sarpotdar. "The victory is a homage to my late father," said Priya Dutt after the results were announced. In Thiruvananthapuram, Communist Party of India leader Pannyan Raveendran defeated his Congress rival V S Sivakumar by a margin of over 70,000 votes.

     The by-poll in North-West Mumbai was necessitated after the death of sitting MP Sunil Dutt in May this year, while in Malwan, Rane's resignation from the Assembly forced to hold the poll. In Kerala, the death of former Chief Minister PK Vasudevan Nair, was the reason for the by-poll.

      The northwest Mumbai constituency was a stronghold of her father, the former Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, but Priya's foray into politics was mired in controversy with some leaders, who party insiders said, were pitching for the job, slamming her as a novice. But the 39-year-old, who was an active participant in her father's political management, campaigned aggressively along with actor brother Sanjay Dutt and won over a seasoned opposition politician by over 200,000 votes. "This victory is the biggest tribute which I can give to my father. People know that I have worked...they will vote only after seeing the candidate's capability, not otherwise," said Priya Dutt. In another major victory for the Congress, Shiv Sena rebel Narayan Rane defeated his former party colleague in an election, being dubbed as a clash of the titans. The win was crucial for Rane, as he became the first-ever Shiv Sena rebel to win an election in Malwan, a bastion of the Bal Thackrey-led outfit. Rane's has been representing the seat since 1990 and his victory from a different symbol has stamped his presence as a powerful leader. "I attribute my victory to Sonia Gandhi, the party and its principles," said an elated Rane. Rane, a prominent Shiv Sena face, had quit the party saying he was being sidelined. He had also questioned what he termed as an "authoritarian" reign of Udhav Thackrey, son of the party supreme, Bal Thackrey.