Bypoll results in Bihar and UP prove voters miffed with BJP, says Rahul Gandhi

Samajwadi Party won Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh.

File photo

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday congratulated those who won in the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He also said that the results clearly showed that the voters were angry with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

On the fate of the Congress, Rahul said, "Congress is eager for the resurgence in UP, but it will not happen overnight."

आज के उपचुनावों में जीतने वाले उम्मीदवारों को बधाई।

नतीजों से स्पष्ट है कि मतदाताओं में भाजपा के प्रति बहुत क्रोध है और वो उस गैर भाजपाई उम्मीदवार के लिए वोट करेंगे जिसके जीतने की संभावना सबसे ज़्यादा हो।

कांग्रेस यूपी में नवनिर्माण के लिए तत्पर है, ये रातों रात नहीं होगा।

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 14, 2018

In a huge blow to the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party won both the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur which were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had backed its bitter rival the SP. 

The SP candidate in Gorakhpur, Pravin Nishad defeated his nearest rival Upendra Dutt Shukla (BJP). In Phulpur too, the SP candidate, Nagendra Singh Patel, defeated its nearest rival Kaushlendra Singh Patel of BJP.

"This is a rejection of both (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath)," SP spokesman Anurag Bhaudauria told IANS. 

"They have been making tall promises but not delivering on the ground," he said, explaining why the voters appeared to have turned away against the BJP so dramatically in these two seats since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

In 2014, the BJP stunningly won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats while one of its allies secured two. The SP had won from five seats. The Congress and BSP had drawn a blank.

On the other hand, in Bihar, the RJD won Araria Lok Sabha seat and the Jahanabad Assembly seat while the BJP bagged Bhabhua Assembly seat.

RJD's Suday Yadav defeated Janata Dal-United candidate Abhiram Sharma in Jehanabad and in Bhabua, BJP's Rinki Pandey defeated Sambhu Patel of the Congress, a RJD ally.

In Araria, RJD candidate Sarfaraz Alam defeated BJP's Pradeep Kumar Singh.

The by-elections were held on Sunday.

(With Agency inputs)