E-Paper
BJP retains Mohammadabad seat
RIDING ON a sympathy wave, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Alka Rai, widow of slain legislator Krishnanand Rai, won the Mohammadabad Assembly by-election defeating her nearest ruling Samajwadi Party rival by an impressive margin of over 33,000 votes on Sunday. Sources said Alka Rai defeated her Samajwadi Party rival by 33,744 votes. The remaining 11 candidates, including the Congress nominee, could not even save their security deposits.
RIDING ON a sympathy wave, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Alka Rai, widow of slain legislator Krishnanand Rai, won the Mohammadabad Assembly by-election defeating her nearest ruling Samajwadi Party rival by an impressive margin of over 33,000 votes on Sunday.
Sources said Alka Rai defeated her Samajwadi Party rival by 33,744 votes. The remaining 11 candidates, including the Congress nominee, could not even save their security deposits. Alka secured 79,870 votes whereas her nearest rival Sri Krishen alias Gama Ram of the ruling Samajwadi Party managed to get 46,126 votes in the keenly contested by-poll which registered 46 per cent polling on February 16.
The Congress nominee managed to secure 2,909 votes only. The number of votes polled was 1,35,412.
Reacting to the victory, the BJP described it as a first step towards the crusade against ‘politicisation of criminals’ and ‘criminalisation of politics’ being preached and propagated by the ruling Samajwadi Party. “The BJP victory in Mohammadabad is the victory of the forces who want immediate end to criminalisation of politics in the state”, state BJP president Keshri Nath Tripathi, told Hindustan Times on phone on Sunday.
It may be mentioned that the murder of sitting BJP legislator Krishnanand Rai and his six aides on November 29 had necessitated the by-poll.
The issue had snowballed into a major controversy with former UP chief minister Rajnath Singh sitting on an indefinite dharna at Varanasi district headquarters for 15 days, demanding a CBI inquiry into the murder. The request was turned down by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The Chief Minister had described the by-poll as prestigious for his party, having made an appeal to the voters during the campaigning that he would change the face of Ghazipur if his candidate’s victory was ensured in Mohammadabad.
However, his hopes were dashed on Sunday when his party’s nominee received the worst drubbing in the by-poll, the result of which was declared this afternoon.
“IT is going to take some time in the official declaration of BJP’s victory”, district magistrate of Ghazipur Anita C Mahesram, told HT on phone.
The BJP has decided not to take out a victory rally, possibly as a mark of respect to the departed soul (Krishnanand Rai) and also keeping in view the official restrictions on carrying out such rallies.
