Karni Sena believes BJP lost Rajasthan bypolls because of Padmaavat

Jaipur: Karni Sena Chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi believes that the Bharatiya Janata Party lost the bypolls held in Rajasthan, results of which were declared on Thursday, because Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat was not banned.

"For the first time ever in Rajasthan Bypolls, candidates from ruling party didn't win. Padmaavat was not banned so it took the shape of outrage which was evident on 29th January and its result came today. I would suggest PM to ban it, it's the only solution, stated Karni Sena Chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi, addressing the media.

The ruling-Bharatiya Janata Party had to face defeat in the bypolls conducted in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Ajmer and Alwar and the Mandalgarh Assembly seat as well. The Congress secured an emphatic win in all the three seats by quite a wide margin.

In Alwar, Congress candidate Karan Singh Yadav defeated BJP's Jaswant Yadav and in Ajmer, Congress' Raghu Sharma won. Congress candidate Vivek Dhakad won the Mandalgarh Assembly seat on Thursday by defeating his nearest rival, BJP candidate Shakti Singh Hada, by 12,976 votes.

"Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan," tweeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP had won all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2014 General Elections. The party, which wrested power from the Congress in 2013 in Rajasthan, had 161 MLAs in the House of 200. It had strategised raising the tally of seats to 180 in the Assembly polls due in this year-end.

The Karni Sena had helmed the protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus, demanding a nation-wide ban. The days before the release of the movie saw widespread violence, with Rajput outfits demanding a ban on the movie.The Supreme Court had refused to ban the movie and had directed the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to release the movie. The epic period drama released on January 25 and is having a phenomenal run at the box-office, crossing the Rs 150 crore mark on Wednesday.