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BJP's Kedarnath Singh concedes defeat in UP MLC polls, says 'accept mandate with complete humility'
BJP's Kedarnath Singh thanked graduate voters for their support and said he accepted the public mandate with humility.
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kedarnath Singh has conceded defeat in the Varanasi Graduate constituency election, sharing an emotional message on Facebook as counting of second-preference votes continues. Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Ashutosh Sinha is leading by 16,984 votes, according to the latest figures.
After the counting of second-preference votes, Sinha secured 50,462 votes against 33,674 for Kedarnath Singh, putting the SP candidate ahead by a substantial margin.
In his Facebook post, Kedarnath Singh thanked graduate voters for their support and said he accepted the public mandate with humility, despite not achieving the expected result.
“Gratitude, appreciation, and a pledge to serve the public. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the esteemed graduate voters of the Varanasi constituency, who placed their trust in me by casting their invaluable votes, and who bestowed their affection and blessings upon me,” he wrote.
Singh said politics was not merely about attaining power or holding a position, but about fulfilling responsibilities towards society and remaining committed to public service.
“I accept the public mandate with complete humility and democratic decorum. Although we did not achieve the expected success in this election, the affection, cooperation, and trust I received from all of you will always remain invaluable to me,” he said.
The BJP candidate also thanked senior party leaders, alliance office-bearers, party workers and supporters for their efforts during the election. He described the party workers as being like the divine and acknowledged their sincerity, dedication and hard work.
Emphasising that the election result would not affect his commitment to public service, Singh said success and failure were integral parts of the democratic process.
“Success and failure are integral parts of the democratic process; however, the resolve to serve the public is not contingent upon any specific outcome. I will continue to remain among you, just as I have always been, and will uphold my commitment to the interests, concerns, and aspirations of the graduate constituency,” he wrote.
Singh added that the affection, trust and blessings of voters would continue to inspire him, reiterating his commitment to the constituency despite the electoral setback.
Counting of votes in the Varanasi Graduate constituency began on October 27 and is still underway.
Inside UP MLC polls
In Uttar Pradesh, where 10 seats were up for grabs apart from Varanasi, including Lucknow, Jhansi, Agra, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Bareilly, Moradabad and Faizabad, the BJP held on to six seats. The Samajwadi Party (SP), its main rival, won five seats, an increase of two.
In 2020, the BJP had won six seats, while the SP secured three and independents won two. One of the independent winners later joined the BJP.
The BJP performed well in western Uttar Pradesh, retaining the Meerut graduate and teacher seats, the Bareilly-Moradabad teacher seat, the Lucknow teacher seat, the Agra graduate seat and the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher seat. Notably, it won Gorakhpur-Faizabad by a narrow margin of 307 votes.
The SP, meanwhile, retained both the graduate and teacher seats in Varanasi. It also won the Agra teacher seat, the Allahabad-Jhansi graduate seat and the Lucknow graduate seat.
Deep Dive
