Kairana bypoll results: RLD’s Tabassum Hasan defeats Mriganka Singh of BJP

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Tabassum Hasan, backed by Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), on Thursday defeated Mriganka Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Kairana Lok Sabha byelections by over 55,000 votes.

Conceding defeat even before the declaration of the full result, Mriganka Singh said that the BJP was not able to communicate effectively about the work done by the party to people of the area. She said that though she was upset with the results but not discouraged.

Mriganka Singh also dismissed reports of infighting being a cause of defeat for the BJP, saying that all party workers fought the bypoll in Kairana with full might. “I feel guilty for letting the workers down…but there was no infighting, all the workers fought with full might,” said the BJP leader.

She further acknowledged that the power of alliance between opposition parties was clearly evident, adding, “We will have to prepare more to contest opposition unity”.

Tabassum Hasan, who emerged the winner in Kairana, which was considered a high-stake seat, said that the credit for her victory goes to the people of the area and then to the unity among the opposition parties.

Speaking to Zee News, she dismissed any “wave” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and used the opportunity to attack the BJP for allegedly raking up the issue of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She said that the ruling party tried to divert the attention of people and mislead them.

Elections were necessitated in Kairana after the seat fell vacant in February following the death of BJP leader Hukum Singh. The BJP fielded Mriganka Singh, daughter of Singh, from the seat.

Following the party’s defeat in from Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had profusely campaigned for Kairana seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Repolling at 73 booths in Kairana Lok Sabha constituency was conducted on Wednesday and witnessed estimated voter turnout of 61 per cent. The Election Commission had ordered repolling at these polling stations in view of technical snags in EVM-VVPAT machines during the bye-election on Monday.