BJP-ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) candidate Rinki Kol on Saturday defeated Samajwadi Party’s Kirti Kol to win the bypoll to the Chhanbey (SC) assembly seat here by a margin of 9,587 votes.
The by-polls for these seats were held on May 10 and the victory margin in each seat was less than 10,000 votes.
In Rampur district’s Suar assembly constituency, Apna Dal (S) candidate Shafeek Ahmed Ansari defeated Samajwadi Party nominee Anuradha Chauhan by 8,724 votes.
Also Read:UP assembly bypolls: BJP ally Apna Dal (S)’s Shafeek Ahmed Ansari wins Suar by 8,724 votes
Apna Dal (S) national president and union minister Anupriya Patel, in a tweet, said, “The victory of the party candidates on both the seats is the victory of the NDA alliance. The people of Suar and Chhanbey voted for harmony and development.”
While the Apna Dal (S) had held the Chhanbey seat earlier too, its victory in Suar has increased the party’s tally in the state assembly from 11 to 12.
{{/usCountry}}While the Apna Dal (S) had held the Chhanbey seat earlier too, its victory in Suar has increased the party’s tally in the state assembly from 11 to 12.
{{/usCountry}}In the 403 -member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the ruling BJP has 255 MLAs and its ally NISHAD party has six MLAs.
The Samajwadi Party has 109 MLAs and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) nine.
The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has six MLAs, the Congress and Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have two each and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has one MLA.
The Chhanbey assembly seat had fallen vacant after the death of Apna Dal (S) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol in February.
The Suar seat was declared vacant after a Moradabad court sentenced the then SP MLA Abdullah Azam Khan to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case, also in February.
It was the second time Abdullah Azam Khan, the son of senior SP leader Azam Khan, was disqualified from the state assembly. He was first elected to the Suar assembly seat in 2017. But in 2020, the Allahabad high court had set aside his election for not declaring his correct age in the affidavit.
On Saturday, the SP candidate took the lead in the first round of counting in Suar but in the next round, the Apna Dal (S) not only narrowed the lead but moved ahead.
The scenario was no different in Chhanbey that witnessed a close fight between Apna Dal (S) candidate Rinki and SP nominee Kirti Kol.
Rinki Kol’s father-in-law Pakodi Lal Kol is Lok Sabha member from Robertsganj in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
SP candidate Kirti’s father Bhai Lal Kol had earlier represented the Chhanbey assembly constituency.
In Suar, Apna Dal (S) fielded Shafeek Ahmed while the SP nominated Anuradha Chauhan.
While Apna Dal (S) chief Anupriya Patel led the party’s campaign in both the constituencies, SP leader Azam Khan piloted his party’s poll fight in Suar.
His son Abdullah had won the Suar seat by over 60,000 votes in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.