Dalit voters appeared to have played a decisive role in Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh’s victory in the Ghosi assembly bypoll on Friday despite Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati’s call to her party supporters to stay away from polling or opt for NOTA.
Sudhakar Singh maintained a lead over BJP nominee Dara Singh Chauhan in all rounds of counting of votes, apparently indicating that he got the support of voters even in the Dalit- dominated areas of the constituency.
In the 2022 assembly election, Dara Singh Chauhan polled 1,08,430 votes on the SP ticket whereas the BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Rajbhar got 86,214 votes. Chauhan won the election by 22,216 votes last year. In the bypoll, Sudhakar Singh got 1,24,427 votes whereas Chauhan got 81,668 votes as a BJP nominee, losing by 42,759 votes.
In the 2022 assembly election, BSP candidate Vasim Ekbal polled 53,953 votes in the constituency which has around 60,000 Dalit voters.
The SP candidate got more votes in the 2023 bypoll in comparison to the 2022 assembly election.
“It’s clear indication that along with the base vote of the party -- OBCs and Muslims -- the party candidate got the support of the Dalit community as the BSP did not field a candidate in the bypoll,” said Asit Yadav, an SP leader.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s clear indication that along with the base vote of the party -- OBCs and Muslims -- the party candidate got the support of the Dalit community as the BSP did not field a candidate in the bypoll,” said Asit Yadav, an SP leader.
{{/usCountry}}While 1,246 voters opted for NOTA in the 2022 assembly poll in Ghosi, 1,725 voters pressed the NOTA button in the bypoll held on September 5 this year. It clearly indicates that Dalit voters defied the BSP chief’s call, Yadav said.
Countering the SP leader’s claim, a BSP leader said 58.53% votes were polled in Ghosi in the 2022 assembly election but the poll percentage dropped to 50% in the bypoll this year.
The fall in the poll percentage indicates that Dalit voters stayed away from the poll.
The BSP had won the Ghosi assembly seat in 1993 and 2007. It was the runner-up in the 1989, 1996, 2012 and 2017 assembly elections. The BSP bagged the Ghosi Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Senior SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary said, “The SP got the votes of all the communities, including Dalits. The BSP strategy to pave the way for the victory of the BJP candidate by calling upon its voters to stay away from polling failed. The Dalit community will support the SP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election to express solidarity with the I.N.D.I.A. alliance,” he said.
“The BSP strategy not to field a candidate in the bypoll is likely to hurt its prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. BSP chief Mayawati is working on a strategy to emerge as a third force in the 2024 Lok Sabha election by maintaining a distance from the NDA and the I.N.D.I.A. alliance. After the SP’s victory in the Ghosi assembly bypoll, a message has gone to the voters that the SP has the capability to challenge the BJP’s might in the Lok Sabha election,” he said.