BJP has suffered a major setback in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi. The party lost two seats in the Legislative Council elections. Both seats, one reserved for teachers and the other reserved for graduates, both were won by Samajwadi Party candidates.
Ashutosh Sinha of Samajwadi Party won the Varanasi graduation seat, while his own party colleague Lal Bihari Yadav won the teacher’s seat.
Socialist winner Lal Bihari Yadav in Varanasi teacher constituency said, “This is a big win for the party. I am very happy with the result.”
Results of two seats are still pending, with BJP winning four out of 11 seats, Samajwadi Party winning three and Independents two.
Despite a favorable rally for the ruling party, the victory of the Samajwadi Party in the BJP stronghold has surprised many.
Uttar Pradesh is one of the six states in India, with a bicameral legislature, with two houses – the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The Legislative Council in the state has 100 members.
Voting was held on December 1 for 11 seats of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and six seats in the teachers’ constituency.
The term of the members expired on 6 May, but the election had to be postponed due to an epidemic.
