Samajwadi Party’s Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel is leading by 1058 votes in Phulpur. On the other hand, BJP is leading in Gorakhpur.
The counting for Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-poll elections has begun. The two by-polls are considered as the battle of prestige for the ruling BJP. Both the seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur were held by BJP’s Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively. BJP won both the seats in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, the seats became vacant after both the leaders were elected to legislative councils.
The polling that took place on Sunday recorded 47.45 percent voter turnout in Gorakhpur and 37.39 percent voter turnout in Phulpur. While 10 candidates are trying their luck in Gorakhpur by-polls, 22 candidates are in the fray for Phulpur.
#Araria Lok Sabha by-poll: BJP leading after second round of counting. #Bihar
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018
The UP politics witnessed a roundabout ahead of the by-polls for two seats. The arch rivals Samajwadi Party and BSP came together to take on BJP. BJP is pinning hopes on Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur and Kaushalendra Singh Patel from Phulpur. On the other hand, from Samajwadi Party, Pravin Nishad and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel are in the fray in Gorakhpur and Phulpur respectively.
Samajwadi Party‘s Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel is leading by 12,231 votes in Phulpur with 99,557 votes while BJP’s Kaushlendra Singh Patel has total 87,326 votes in his name after round 8. On the other hand, BJP which was leading in Gorakhpur has taken a backseat. SP’s Praveen Kumar Nishad is leading by 1523 with 44,979 votes, BJP’s Upendra Dutt Shukla second with 43,456 votes. However, the SP candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad had voiced his concerns regarding EVM Machines. Talking to a news agency, Nishad said that he is confident of his victory but there is a doubt regarding EVM Machines.
#PhulpurByPoll: Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel leading by 1058 votes with 22,460 votes, BJP's Kaushlendra Singh Patel at a close second with 21,402 votes.
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 14, 2018
“People are saying that SP’s grand alliance will win this seat but there is a doubt in everyone’s mind regarding EVM machines. The government can do anything using state administration,” said Nishad.
Along with two Lok Sabha seats of UP, one Lok Sabha seat in Bihar’s Araria constituency also went for by-poll and the results are expected to be announced today. The by-poll is considered as the test of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP-JD(U) alliance in the state as Nitish Kumar had broken away from RJD and joined hands with BJP to form a government in the state. According to ANI, the RJD has lost its initial lead while the BJP is leading after the second round of counting. BJP is leading in Araria by 8979 with 1,13,169 votes while RJD is second with 1,04,190 votes.
Election Commission officials have confirmed that the results will be declared by afternoon.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
