UP Bypoll Results 2020: BJP leading in 4 seats, trailing in 2, early trends show

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on Tuesday leading in four seats and trailing in two others, early trends showed as votes were being counted in the seven assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, where by-polls were held last week.

The by-polls are being seen as a test of popularity for the government led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, as the BJP, which has a comfortable majority in the state assembly, is contesting on seven seats. The party had won six of these in the 2017 elections and one was held by the Samajwadi Party.

The BJP is leading in four, while the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Independent candidates are ahead in one each by margins varying from 1,000 to 2,000 votes. The BJP’s Usha Sirohi is leading in Bulandshahr, while Prem Pal Dhangar is leading from Tundla, Shrikant Katiyar from Bangarmau and Satya Prakash Mani Tripathi from Deoria. The SP’s Javed Abbas is leading from Naugawan Sadat and BSP’s Kuldeep Shankhwar from Ghatampur. Independent Dhananjay Singh is leading from Malhani seat.

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The ruling party in the state was trailing in seats held by state ministers Chetan Chauhan and Kamla Rani Varun, Navgawan Sadat and Ghatampur respectively, while the SP was trailing in Malhani.

The Naugaon Sadat seat fell vacant after the death of state minister and former cricketer Chetan Chauhan. The Ghatampur bypoll in Kanpur Nagar district was necessitated due to the death of state minister Varun. Both the ministers died of Covid-19. The Tundla seat fell vacant after its MLA, SP Singh Baghel, was elected to the Lok Sabha, while the Bangarmau seat in Unnao fell vacant after the conviction of BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in a rape case. The BJP had dumped Sengar soon after his involvement in the case was alleged.

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The by-polls to the Bulandshahr, Deoria and Malhani seats were necessitated due to the deaths of sitting MLAs Virendra Singh Sirohi, Janmejay Singh and Parasnath Yadav (SP) respectively.

The Bulandshahr seat has the highest number of 18 candidates while Ghatampur seat has the lowest of six. Sixteen candidates are in the fray in Malhani, 14 each in Naugaon Sadat and Deoria, 10 each in Bangarmau and Tundla. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Aazad’s Azad Samaj Party has fielded Mohammad Yameen from Bulandshahr to test its electoral popularity.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had on Monday accused the BJP of indulging in “rigging, fraud and whatever it could through the administration to win the elections”.

Adityanath and the BJP’s state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh had led the party’s campaign on all the seven seats. The SP had also campaigned vigorously.

An average of over 53% of voters had exercised their franchise to decide the electoral fate of 88 candidates, including nine women, for the Naugawan Sadat, Tundla, Bangarmau, Bulandshahr, Deoria, Ghatampur and Malhani assembly seats.

UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Ajay Kumar Shukla said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made adequate arrangements for personal protective equipment (PPE) kits such as face shields, masks, thermal scanners, gloves, sanitisers, soaps and water for those who have been deputed for the counting.

“A maximum seven tables have been be placed in a counting hall. The counting of votes for Bulandshahar and Malahani assembly segments are being done in three halls each while counting for the remaining five constituencies are being conducted in two halls each,” Shukla said. “Adequate security forces have been deployed at the counting centres to maintain law and order. The ECI has deputed seven observers to monitor the exercise. The results of all the seven seats are likely to be declared by Tuesday evening,” he added.

(With agency inputs)