NEW DELHI: State-level by-poll results on Monday threw up surprises, with the Lalu-Nitish RJD-JD(U) alliance winning 6 seats versus BJP's 4 in Bihar.The outcome of the bypoll is being considered as a "semi-final" before the crucial state poll next year as it will prove whether regrouping of "Mandal forces" against BJP has paid or not.Of the 10 seats that went to bypoll, BJP had 6 seats in the 2010 Assembly election while RJD had 3 and JD(U) 1.Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, BJP retained the Agar Assembly seat by a margin of 27,102 votes with its candidate Gopal Parmar defeating Congress' Rajkumar Gore.The by-poll was necessitated in Agar (Malwa) after sitting BJP MLA Manohar Untwal got elected as MP from Dewas Lok Sabha seat. Meanwhile, Congress which is striving hard to revive its fortunes in the state after remaining out of power since 2003, received some good news from Bahoriband seat in Katni district where its candidate Sourabh Singh is leading by a margin of 1,750 votes.BJP had won the Bahoriband seat in the 2013 Assembly polls and by-poll was necessitated due to the death of sitting MLA Prabhat Pandey. The ruling party has fielded his son Pranav Pandey from the constituency.In Vijaraghavgarh, BJP's Sanjay Pathak is leading by a margin of 17,000 votes against Congress' Brajendra Mishra. Pathak had won the Vijayraghavgarh seat in 2013 from Congress with a thin margin. Later during Lok Sabha polls, he switched over to the BJP due to differences with the party leaders.By-polls in these three constituencies, held last week witnessed a higher turnout of 69.98 per cent, with Bahorband recording 71.80 per cent, Agar 70.09 per cent and Vijayraghavgarh 68.05 per cent.In Karnataka, the ruling Congress party won two seats, wresting the prestigious Bellary Rural from BJP which managed to retain one constituency in the fiercely fought August 21 by-polls.In a blow to BJP, Congress' N Y Gopalakrishna trounced BJP's Obalesh by a margin of 33,104 votes in Bellary Rural, represented earlier by B Sriramulu, who vacated the seat after becoming a Lok Sabha member.Sriramulu, once considered a trusted lieutenant of mining baron and former minister Janardhana Reddy , had won Bellary Rural in the 2013 Assembly polls as the candidate of his outfit BRS before rejoining BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections.In Shikaripura, BJP managed to retain the seat with B Y Raghavendra, son of party National Vice-President and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, winning by a margin of 6,430 votes against Congress' H S Shantaveerappa Gowda in a closely fought battle.Yeddyurappa had won the Shikaripura seat in the 2013 Assembly elections by a margin of over 24,000 votes as the candidate of Karnataka Janatha Paksha (KJP), his outfit which merged with BJP months before the Lok Sabha polls. He had represented Shikaripura seven times before making his debut as a Lok Sabha member from Shimoga in the last polls.Congress retained its traditional stronghold of Chikkodi-Sadalga, where its candidate Ganesh Prakash Hukkeri defeated BJP's Mahantesh Kavatagimath by 31,820 votes.In Chandigarh, Congress leader and former union minister Preneet Kaur won the Patiala Assembly seat defeating her nearest SAD rival Bhagwan Dass Juneja. Kaur, wife of former chief minister Amarinder Singh , won by a margin of over 23,282 votes.The seat fell vacant after Amarinder got elected to Lok Sabha from Amritsar. Patiala seat was retained by Congress. Kaur polled 52,967 votes, SAD nominee Bhagwan Dass Juneja 29,685 and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Harjit S Adaltiwala 5724 votes.Ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu won the Talwandi Sabo Assembly seat in Punjab, defeating his nearest Congress rival Harminder Singh Jassi. Sidhu, who was a Congress MLA before deserting the party to join SAD, drubbed Congress nominee Harminder Singh Jassi by a margin of 46,642 votes.SAD won the Talwandi Sabo Assembly seat by a margin of 46,642 votes.