BJP wrests SP bastions in by polls, Yogi credits double-engine government

BJP wrests SP bastions in by polls, Yogi credits double-engine government

BJP made SP stronghold in by-elections, Yogi gave credit to double engine government

LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday won bypolls in Samajwadi Party (SP) strongholds Azamgarh and Rampur, prompting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to term the result as a sign of people's trust in the state and central governments. According to Election Commission of India, BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirhua defeated SP's Dharmendra Yadav by a margin of 8,679 votes from Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat.


Nirahua got 312,768 votes as compared to Yadav's 304,089. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Shah Alam Guddu Jamali came third with 2,66,210 votes. In Rampur, BJP candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi defeated SP's nearest rival Mohammad Asim Raja by 42,192 votes.


Lodhi got 367,397 votes and Raja got 325,205 votes. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted, "Historic victory of BJP candidates in the by-elections to Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats is the result of the welfare policies of the double engine BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi." There are BJP governments both in the state and at the Centre. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav won the Azamgarh seat by 259,000 votes, while senior party leader Azam Khan won the Rampur seat by 109,000 votes.


Akhilesh and Azam vacated the seats after they were elected to the state assembly from Karhal in Mainpuri and Rampur respectively in March. In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won three assembly seats, Rampur Sadar, Suar and Chamrua, which are part of the Rampur Lok Sabha constituency.


The SP also won all the five assembly seats Mehnagar, Sagdi, Gopalpur, Azamgarh Sadar and Mubarakpur in the Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency, while the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh for the second time in a row.


SP fielded former MP Dharmendra Yadav's ticket


Akhilesh Yadav's cousin in Azamgarh. It nominated Mohammad Asim Raja, a close aide of Azam Khan, for the Rampur seat.


Khan campaigned after he was released on bail from Sitapur Jail on May 20. “This victory of BJP is Dhritarashtra drishti (turning eyes) by deceit, dishonesty, abuse of power, defiance of democracy and constitution, force, repression, administrative machinery. Kidnapping of mandate by Election Commission and BJP Kaurava Sena.


How can this be called an election? Democracy is bleeding,” Akhilesh said. Adityanath and a battery of BJP ministers and party leaders had campaigned for candidates in Azamgarh and Rampur.


SK Srivastava, a political observer, said, "BJP's victories in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha, which are considered strong fortresses of the SP, will set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections." "Despite Modi"


BJP wave in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections


Failed to win Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat.


Though BJP had won Rampur seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it lost the seat in 2019.