After bypoll debacle, BSP blames BJP for poor show

After drawing a blank in the Uttar Pradesh assembly bypolls, the BSP blamed the ruling BJP for its debacle, saying it helped the Samajwadi Party win some seats.

In the bypolls to 11 assembly segments, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) bagged 8 seats and the SP three.

The SP, which emerged as the biggest gainer, wrested Zaidpur seat from the ruling BJP and Jalalpur from the BSP, while retaining Rampur.

"As part of a conspiracy to bring the morale of the BSP men down before the UP Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP in these bypolls made the Samajwadi Party win some seats and not allow the BSP to win a single seat," BSP president Mayawati tweeted after the loss in the elections.

"Partymen understand this well. They will definitely work wholeheartedly to fail their conspiracy," she added.

The Uttar Pradesh bypoll results have come as a setback for the BSP which had sought to project itself as the main opposition party in the state.

It not only failed to retain its Jalalpur seat but also pushed to the fourth spot in six of the 11 assembly segments.

BSP's Chaya Verma lost the Jalalpur seat to Samajwadi Party's Subhash Rai by a slender margin of 790 votes.

Chaya Verma is the daughter of senior BSP leader Lalji Verma and Jalalpur was a BSP stronghold from where its its candidate Ritesh Pandey had won the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.

The party candidates fared below Congress nominees and also lost deposits at many of the seats.

On six seats-Gangoh, Rampur, Lucknow Cantt, Govindnagar, Pratapgarh and Zaidpur-its candidates fared a poor fourth.

On three others-Manikpur, Balha and Ghosi-it took the third spot and on two-Iglas and Jalapur-it finished the runners up.

The party got the lowest 2.14 per cent votes in Rampur and the highest 33.96 per cent and 31.25 per cent in Iglas and Jalalpur, respectively.

The BSP, which was the major gainer in this year's Lok Sabha polls, winning 10 seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, had decided to contest the bypolls after almost 12 years.