After LS losses, BJP gets UP boost with bypoll wins

After the reverses in the Lok Sabha elections this summer, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday swept the assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, with the party-led NDA candidates winning seven of the nine seats that went to the by-elections, and dealt a blow to the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) which failed to repeat its success from the general elections.

- Brajendra K Parashar

While the BJP alone won six of the nine assembly seats for which the bypolls were held on November 20, its NDA ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won one seat. The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP could win only two seats.

The bypolls, though insignificant in terms of the stability of the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh, had become a battle of prestige for the ruling party following a drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP had won 33 seats, while the SP emerged on top with 37 seats out of 80 in the general elections. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who spearheaded the party campaign, termed the bypoll results a testament to the people's unwavering faith in the successful leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.