Uttar Pradesh bypoll 2017: BJP, SP in a high voltage fight in Sikandra constituency

SIKANDRA: Counting is underway for the by-election to the Sikandra Assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP is leading as per initial information, followed by Samajwadi Party at the second spot.

- BJP has fielded Pals son Ajit Pal Singh, who will fight mainly against Seema Sachan of the Samajwadi Party and Prabhakar of the Congress party. 

- 12 aspirants are in the contest, including five independent candidates.

- The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal on July 22 due to illness.

Voting for the polls were held on 21 December. Nearly 53 per cent votes had been polled of the total 3.21 lakh electorate. In the general election, this seat had witnessed a turnout of over 60 per cent. 

In the 2017 Assembly polls, Pal had polled 87,879 votes, defeating the nearest Bahujan Samaj Party rival Mahendra Katiyar (Bablu), who got 49,776 votes.

Sikandra constituency falls in Kanpur Dehat district, a place which gained notoriety after the 1981 Behmai massacre of 21 upper caste Rajputs allegedly by Phoolan Devi and her gang.

In Behmai village, Phoolan Devi and her gang allegedly killed 21 Rajput men in 1981 to avenge her rape. She surrendered to the police in 1983 and went on to become an MP from Mirzapur. She was shot dead outside her Delhi residence on July 25, 2001.