Ghosi by-election is a test for Akhilesh's status in I.N.D.I.A

BJP’s win will further add to Yogi Adityanath’s stature as a leader having full control over the state, whereas SP’s win will boost Akhilesh Yadav’s image.

- RATAN MANI LAL

A by-election for an Assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh is emerging as the first example of the efficacy—even though in a limited manner—of the ideological coming-together of parties that claim to be part of the India coalition. The by-election to Ghosi Assembly seat, in Mau district of eastern UP, has pitted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), and for a change, all other Opposition parties–with the notable exception of the Bahujan Samaj Party–have decided to support the SP candidate.

The by-election was necessitated by rather ironical circumstances. The seat was won in the 2022 Assembly election by SP’s Dara Singh Chauhan, who defeated his BJP opponent Vijay Rajbhar by about 10,000 votes. Dara Singh Chauhan was earlier with BJP from 2015 to 2022 and had defected to SP in January 2022, just before the 2022 Assembly election when he was conveyed that the BJP may not field him as the party candidate. He contested and won from Ghosi as the SP candidate. However, on 17 July this year, he came back to BJP and resigned from the Ghosi seat. This led to the by-election where he is now contesting as the BJP candidate. The SP has put up Sudhakar Singh as its candidate. Polling is scheduled for 5 September in this seat comprising 4,10,000 voters.