India, Jan. 14 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit a significant roadblock in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram, just weeks after making history in the local body polls there. The party lost a crucial by-election in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on Tuesday, forcing it to rethink its immediate strategy in the civic body.

The BJP failed to secure a simple majority after its candidate finished third in the Vizhinjam ward bypoll, which was held after polling was postponed last month due to the death of an Independent candidate. UDF candidate KH Sudheer Khan won the seat by defeating LDF's N Noushad by 83 votes.

Here's what the vote count of each party looked like:

UDF: 2,902 votes

LDF: 2,819 votes

BJP: 2,437 vote...