UP by-elections: Adityanath solidifies power with 7-2 win

LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Hindutva appeal and the slogan "Batenge toh katenge, ek rahenge toh safe rahenge" played a pivotal role in the BJP's resounding victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections, where the party-led NDA secured a decisive 7-2 win over the Samajwadi Party (SP).

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

The SP managed to hold on to its strongholds of Karhal and Sisamau, which it has dominated for over three decades.

The BJP's winning candidates included Sanjeev Sharma (Ghaziabad), Surender Diler (Khair), Deepak Patel (Phulpur), Dharmraj Nishad (Katehari) Ramveer Singh (Kundarki) and Suchismita Maurya (Majhawan). Rashtriya Lok Dal's (RLD) Mithlesh Pal clinched Meerapur.

The results marked a significant blow to Akhilesh Yadav's PDA (Pichchra, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) caste-based strategy and set the tone for the 2027 Assembly elections.

Among the nine seats contested, the BJP’s biggest triumph came in Kundarki, Moradabad, a constituency with a 65 per cent Muslim voter base, where its candidate Ramveer Singh defeated SP’s Mohammad Rizwan by an overwhelming margin of 1,44,791 votes. Meanwhile, In key constituencies, BJP’s Dharmraj Nishad secured victory in Katehari, defeating SP’s Shobawati Verma by over 34,514 votes. In Majhawan, BJP’s Shuchismita Maurya prevailed over SP’s Dr Jyoti Bind by 4,922 votes, while in Khair, BJP’s Surendra Diler triumphed against SP’s Charu Kain with a margin of 38,393 votes.