UP by-election results deliver a wake-up call: BJP put on notice

Wednesday’s shock defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in three Lok Sabha seats can have much wider ramifications for national politics, especially in the run-up to the next general elections. What made it a big setback for the BJP was the politically sensitive nature of the seats. In Uttar Pradesh, the two seats on offer — Gorakhpur and Phulpur — were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively. The loss was particularly embarrassing in Gorakhpur where the BJP has been winning since 1989. Besides, it is the pocket borough of Mr Adityanath,