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‘Unprecedented verdict’: Yogi Adityanath concedes defeat in Gorakhpur, Phulpur bypolls
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conceded defeat in by-elections for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliament seats, saying the BJP paid for its overconfidence.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conceded the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) stunning losses in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday, saying the party failed to assess the impact of the pact between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the bypolls.
He admitted after the verdict that the losses were a lesson for the party. “It’s indeed a lesson for us.”
Adityanath, a five-time MP for Gorakhpur, described the SP-BSP agreement a “rajnaitik saudabaazi”, or political deal, and told reporters that the people in the two parliamentary constituencies held by the BJP have given an unexpected verdict.
“It’s an unprecedented verdict but we accept the people’s decision and would work towards ironing out the flaws,” he said.
He had downplayed before the bypolls the joint effort of the two main opposition parties to defeat the BJP. He had a series of rallies in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, and said his party was strong in both seats and would win with a comfortable margin.
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who represented Phulpur in Parliament, conceded defeat too. He blamed the loss largely on the low voter turnout.
“It’s true that the two parties together managed to attract more votes than we had imagined,” he said.
This is the first time in 29 years that the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat would not be represented by a member of the Gorakhnath Mutt.
Pravin Nishad of the Samajwadi Party won the bypoll. He is a Nishad, a sub-caste of the other backward classes that has traditionally supported Adityanath.
The Nishads backed the SP candidate, who is one of their own, since Adityanath — the chief priest of the influential Gorakhnath shrine — is out of the fray.
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