Sat Nov 23 09:29:39 UTC 2024: ## BJP Wins Big in Uttar Pradesh Bypolls, Reasserting Dominance

**Lucknow, India** – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a resounding victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls, winning six out of nine seats. This outcome solidifies Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s grip on the state and reinforces the BJP’s position within its crucial Hindi-speaking voter base.

Preliminary results show BJP leading in Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Phulpur, Katehari, and Majhawan. Their ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), is ahead in Meerapur. The Samajwadi Party (SP), which performed strongly in the recent Lok Sabha elections, only leads in Karhal (Akhilesh Yadav’s constituency) and Sishamau.

The BJP not only retained seats won in 2022 but also successfully flipped Kundarki and Katehari from the SP, and gained Majhawan from the Nishad Party. One notable BJP victory is in Kundarki, where Ramveer Singh holds a substantial lead of nearly 100,000 votes. Similarly, Sanjeev Sharma in Ghaziabad boasts a lead of over 63,000 votes.

The bypolls, necessitated by the election of sitting MLAs to the Lok Sabha, were marred by allegations of electoral malpractice. The Samajwadi Party accused the police of voter intimidation and harassment in several constituencies, including Meerapur and Muzaffarnagar’s Kakrouli. While district officials countered these claims, citing incidents of stone-pelting at police officers, the allegations cast a shadow over the election’s integrity. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav claimed voters were threatened by police, a claim disputed by a UP official. Despite these allegations, SP MP Dharmendra Yadav expressed confidence that their party would have won more seats without alleged police interference. The Election Commission has yet to comment on the allegations.

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