SP will become Samaptwadi Party: Maurya taunts as BJP leads in UP bypolls

Bharatiya Janata Party leads in 4-5 out of the 9 Lok Sabha seats that went to bypolls in Uttar Pradesh

As the BJP gained a lead in the Uttar Pradesh by-polls, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday made a jibe at the Samajwadi Party (SP), saying its decline was inevitable.

 

"Samajwadi Party is going to become Samaptwadi Party. They do politics in the name of PDA (Parivar Development Agency)," said Maurya while speaking with news agency ANI.

 

He alleged that the SP engaged in deceitful politics, which he claimed would no longer work in Uttar Pradesh. Maurya also criticised the SP for associating with individuals convicted of crimes, calling it "unfortunate."

 

He said, “Akhilesh Yadav's PDA is a fraud. Their reality has come before the people. The lies and deceit they propagated in Lok Sabha won't work now... But the murderer of a Dalit daughter sits with them. This is unfortunate. So, these 2024 Vidhan Sabha by-elections are the indication of the end of a party like SP.”

 

 

By-polls were held in 48 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies across 15 states. In UP they were held in nine seats. The by-polls in these nine seats followed the election of eight incumbent MLAs to the Lok Sabha earlier this year and the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki from Sisamau due to a criminal conviction.

 

BJP leads in 5/9 bypoll seats

 

The BJP is leading in Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Phulpur, and Majhawan, while the SP is ahead in Karhal, Sisamau, and Katehari. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is leading in Meerapur.

 

Ahead of the counting of votes, both the SP and BJP traded allegations of electoral malpractice. The SP claimed that police interference disrupted voting in all nine seats, while the BJP accused SP of enabling fake voting, particularly in Kundarki and Sisamau.

 

Voter turnout in UP bypolls

 

The voter turnout for the by-polls in Uttar Pradesh stood at 49.3 per cent, not including postal ballots. Ghaziabad reported the lowest turnout at 33 per cent, while Kundarki saw the highest at 57.7 per cent.

 

The 2024 by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, involving nine assembly constituencies, do not directly alter the composition of the Lok Sabha, as they pertain to the state legislative assembly. However, these bypolls hold significant political implications that could influence future parliamentary dynamics.

 

While the bypoll may not have a big impact on the composition of the Lok Sabha, they can serve as a measure of public sentiment towards parties. For instance, a strong performance by the BJP  could indicate a recovery of support following its reduced seat count in the 2024 general elections, where it secured 36 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, down from 64 in 2019.