The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) asserted its dominance in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections, winning seven out of nine seats. Among these, six were secured by the BJP, while its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), claimed one seat. Notably, the BJP made history by winning traditional Samajwadi Party (SP) strongholds like Kundarki and Katehri.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s intensive campaign strategy, including 15 rallies and roadshows over five days, played a pivotal role in securing victories in constituencies such as Kundarki, Katehri, and Meerapur.
The Katehri seat, where BJP had not won for three decades, finally turned saffron as BJP’s Dharamraj Nishad defeated SP’s Shobhavati Verma by a margin of 34,514 votes.
In Kundarki, another SP bastion, BJP’s Ramveer Singh Thakur achieved an overwhelming victory, defeating SP’s Mohd. Rizwan by 1,44,791 votes, marking a historic moment for the party.
Other significant wins included Ghaziabad, where BJP’s Sanjeev Sharma secured a margin of 69,351 votes; Phulpur, where Deepak Patel defeated the SP candidate by 11,305 votes; Majhwa, where Suchismita Maurya won by 4,922 votes; and Khair, where Surendra Diler claimed victory with a margin of 38,393 votes. In Meerapur, RLD’s Mithilesh Pal won by 30,796 votes.
While the SP managed to retain Karhal and Sisamau seats, their victory margins were significantly reduced. In Karhal, a constituency previously represented by Akhilesh Yadav, the victory margin dropped from 67,504 votes in 2022 to just 14,725 this time.
The BJP and its allies have reinforced their grip in Uttar Pradesh with these results. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s aggressive strategy and the BJP’s organizational strength enabled the party to breach SP’s strongholds. These results bolster the BJP’s morale ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, setting the stage for an even fiercer political battle in the state.
