As BJP Sweeps UP Assembly Elections, Here Are A Few Significant Victories And Losses

The results are out, and states have given a clear verdict. The BJP has scored a solid 4-0, securing victories in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has swept its broom, clearing aside the Congress and a host of other parties - emerging as a buoyant winner in what was supposed to be a multi-cornered contest.

According to the Election Commission, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 255 seats, while its rival Samajwadi Party (SP) has won 111 seats in UP. Showing a dismal performance, Congress managed to win only two seats.

However, the poll results have brought gloom for several political heavyweights while others sailed through. Here are some of them:

Keshav Prasad Maurya

The saffron brigade's winning streak in UP was not without its setbacks, with some of its tallest leaders biting the dust on Thursday. The biggest upset was the shock defeat of deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu, where he lost to Apna Dal (K) candidate Pallavi Patel by 7,000 votes, the Times of India reported.

"I humbly accept the decision of the people of Sirathu assembly constituency, grateful for the hard work of each and every worker, I express my gratitude towards the voters who gave blessings in the form of votes," Maurya said after his defeat.

Results of Fazilnagar, where Swami Prasad Maurya is contesting, were delayed, but he was trailing by over 40,000 votes.

Swami Prasad Maurya

The former minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, Swami Prasad Maurya, who switched over to the SP before the 2022 UP Assembly elections, lost from the Fazilnagar seat on Thursday (March 10).

Maurya lost to his BJP rival Surendra Kumar Kushwaha by over 45,000 votes. According to the Election Commission, Maurya got 71,015 votes, and Kushwaha polled 1.16 lakh votes. As per Zee News, Maurya, who joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP on January 14 this year, got 31.59% of votes while Kushwaha received 51.61%.

Notably, the prominent OBC leader had joined the SP with six other BJP MLAs, including rebel minister Dharam Singh Saini and Apna Dal (Sonelal) legislator Amar Singh Chaudhary.

Maurya was the state Labour Minister and his leaving the BJP was seen as a big blow to the ruling saffron party and a shot in the arm to the SP, considering his influence among the non-Yadav OBCs in the state.

Aparna Yadav

Mulayam Singh Yadav's granddaughter welcomed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. Aparna Yadav and her daughter reached Yogi Adityanath's office to congratulate him for winning the election and greeted the BJP leader by applying a 'tilak' mark to his forehead.

Earlier, Aparna was believed to have displayed a keen interest in contesting from the Lucknow Cantonment seat. However, BJP put an end to all the speculations after fielding incumbent Lucknow (central) MLA and minister Brijesh Pathak from Lucknow Cantt.

Aparna, the SP founder Mulayam Singh's younger daughter-in-law, quit the party and joined the BJP on January 19 - a month before the UP Assembly election.

She had always been impressed by Narendra Modi and said that the nation's interest had always been her priority. The development highlighted the SP's rift when Akhilesh Yadav was working to build up base and support ahead of the crucial polls.

She had contested the 2017 assembly polls on an SP ticket from Lucknow Cantt but had lost to BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi, now a Lok Sabha member from Prayagraj.

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