Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the BJP to a victory in six of nine Assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, strengthening his position amid intra-party criticism after recent setbacks. The BJP also won the Kedarnath seat in Uttarakhand, with Asha Nautiyal defeating Congress’s Manoj Rawat by 5,600 votes.
In UP, the BJP reversed its 2022 performance, when it won only two of these nine seats. On Saturday, it captured several long-lost constituencies, including Kundarki and Katehari, which it last won in 1993 and 1990, respectively. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary, previously critical of Adityanath, attributed the results to his leadership.
Notable wins include Ramveer Singh’s victory in Kundarki by 85,000 votes and Dharmraj Nishad’s 30,000-vote margin in Katehari. However, the Samajwadi Party (SP) retained two seats, with Naseem Solanki winning Sishamau by 8,600 votes, and Tej Pratap Yadav securing Karhal by 14,000 votes. The SP alleged voter intimidation and irregularities, with Akhilesh Yadav claiming the BJP hindered their supporters from reaching polling stations.
Naseem Solanki, contesting in Sishamau after her husband Irfan Solanki’s disqualification, credited her win to voters united against communal politics. Meanwhile, the BJP attributed its loss in Sishamau to a divided Hindu vote.
Other BJP victories include Deepak Patel’s 11,000-vote win in Phulpur, Surendra Diler’s 30,000-vote triumph in Khair, and Suchismita Maurya’s narrow 5,000-vote lead in Majhwan. RLD ally Mithilesh Pal won Meerapur by defeating SP’s Sumbul Rana amid allegations of police voter suppression.
While Adityanath celebrated the results as a mandate for development and stability, the SP vowed to address alleged irregularities. Political observers see the BJP’s performance as a significant boost for Adityanath, though the SP’s resilience in key seats highlights the continuing contest between the two dominant forces in UP politics.
