BSP set to romp home in UP bypolls

Lucknow, Apr 16: Ruling Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) today wrested the Colonelganj assembly seat from Congress and managed to retain the Bilgram seat where bypolls were held on April 12 in Uttar Pradesh.

BSP candidate Ms Rajni Tiwari defeated her nearest rival Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Vishram Singh Yadav by over 38,000 votes in Bilgram assembly constituency. In Colonelganj BSP nominee Brij Singh defeated SP candidate Yogesh Pratap Singh by 9737 votes to wrest the seat.

By-elections were held in two Lok Sabha seats of Azamgarh and Khalilabad and three assembly seats of Bilgram, Colonelganj and Muradnagar.

BSP candidate Akbar Ahmed Dumby, who was trailing in Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, had taken a comfortable lead of over 8000 votes against SP rival Balram Singh Yadav after seven rounds of counting. BJP candidate Ramakant Yadav was trailing in the third spot.

In Khalilabad LS seat, BSP candidate Kushal Tiwari was leading by over 14,000 votes against SP candidate Bhalchand Yadav after six rounds of counting.

In Muradnagar assembly seat the ruling BSP candidate Rajpal Tyagi was ahead by over 3000 votes after 10 rounds of counting.

The results of all the seats were expected late in the afternoon.

The bypoll to two parliamentary constituencies was necessitated after Ramakant Yadav, sitting MP from Azamgarh, and Bhalchand, the sitting MP from Khalilabad, were disqualified under 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

By-elections for Colonelganj and Muradnagar assembly seats was necessitated following the resignation of Congress and Independent MLAs holding the seats, while in Bilgram assembly constituency, the bypoll took place after death of BSP member Upendra Tiwari.

UNI