In Uttar Pradesh, the Mayawati-led BSP has decided to back the Samajwadi Party in bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur ahead of the 2019 General elections
Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party will support Samajwadi Party candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, reports said. The bypolls will be held in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats which were vacated by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya after they assumed positions in the state government.
[caption id=“attachment_3221694” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]![File images of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. PTI]()
File images of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. PTI[/caption] According to sources at BSP, the decision was taken after a marathon meeting at Mayawati’s residence on Thursday,
News18 reported. BSP members are expected to make an official announcement shortly. The Samajwadi Party has fielded Pravin Nishad from Gorakhpur and Nagendra Singh Patel from Phulpur. It is yet to be seen, however, if the candidates’ list will be revised after the announcement of a pre-poll alliance between SP and BSP. Around 40 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the bypolls to these seats, including BJP candidates Upendra Shukla and Kaushalendra Singh Patel, and Congress candidates Sureetha Kareem and Manish Mishra. For BJP, Gorakhpur assumes significance as it is the bastion of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who has represented it in Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Adityanath, Gorakhpur was thrice represented in the Parliament by his mentor Avaidyanath. Phulpur, on the other hand, was once represented by Jawaharlal Nehru. It had for the first time witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when Maurya emerged victorious. Voting for the Lok Sabha by-elections will be held on 11 March, while counting of votes will be held on 14 March. Among 2,124 booths, the administration has identified 90 as most sensitive booths. However, the number of sensitive booth could be increased, District Magistrate of Gorakhpur Rajiv Routela said. With inputs from PTI
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