Ramtek bypoll: Subodh Mohite accepts defeat

NAGPUR: Subodh Mohite, who failed in his bid to secure another term from Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra on the Congress ticket, on Friday accepted defeat in the by-election there.

Mohite, in a statement here, said he had accepted the verdict of the electorate in Ramtek, as the people's wish was supreme in a democracy.

"The people in Ramtek did not give me another opportunity to represent them. However, I will continue to work for the ordinary people in Vidarbha and try to solve their problems," he said.

Mohite said he would set aside political differences and extend all cooperation to Prakash Jadhav, the Shiv Sena nominee who won the elections, on issues of public interest.

Mohite lost the by-election in Ramtek to Jadhav by a margin of 32,572 votes. Mohite polled 1,98,669 votes against 2,31,241 votes polled by Jadhav.

The by-election in Ramtek was necessitated after Mohite, who was elected from there in 2004 on a Shiv Sena ticket, resigned from the party and the House to join the Congress. The voting for the by-election was held on April 9, and the counting took place on Thursday.