BJP loses both seats in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: ‘Ganna’ scored over Jinnah, and the BJP lost Kairana Lok Sabha seat to Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Noorpur assembly seat to Samajwadi Party.

This is BJP’s third consecutive defeat in Lok Sabha by-elections. The party had lost Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats to Samajwadi party in March this year.

The plight of sugarcane farmers, particularly in western UP, emerged as a bigger issue in these by-elections and the BJP’s effort to convert migration of Hindus and the Jinnah controversy into an election issue boomeranged.

“This is clearly a victory of real issues and ‘ganna’ has scored a point over Jinnah. People have rejected the politics of hatred and the message is that political parties must address basic issues instead of indulging in rhetoric”, a jubilant Jayant Chaudhary, vice president of RLD told reporters. Sugarcane is the main cash crop in western UP region. Cane dues in excess of Rs 12,000 have mounted in UP.

RLD’s Tabassum Hasan won the Kairana Lok Sabha seat with a margin of  over 55, 000 votes defeating Mriganka Singh of BJP. She was supported by all opposition parties.

In Noorpur assembly seat, Naemul Hasan of Samajwadi party won the seat with a margin of 6211 votes, defeating Avni Singh of BJP.