UP Polls: Despite Controversies & Opposition Clamour, BJP Wins Hathras, All Seats At Lakhimpur Kheri​

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) witnessed an emphatic win in Uttar Pradesh (UP), winning 255 of the 403 assembly seats. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the first incumbent returning to power after serving a full term. The party bulldozed over the opposition and defied the expectations and estimates of several political analysts and citizens.

Apart from all the wins, the country has eyes on the party's status in two districts that made headlines last year, Lakhimpur Kheri and Hathras.

Hathras Win

BJP Candidate Anjula Singh Mahaur has won the elections from Hathras, with a margin of 15,2718 votes defeating Kuldeep Kumar Singh of Congress, Braj Mohan Rahi of BSP and AAP candidate Kishan Singh.

This year, the constituency recorded an estimated voter turnout of 62.95 percent, a 0.91 per cent more compared to the 2017 elections.

Lakhimpur Win

In Lakhimpur Kheri, BJP has swept all eight seats - that are Palia, Nighasan, Gola Gokarnath, Sri Nagar, Dhaurahra, Lakhimpur, Kasta, and Mohammadi. In Lakhimpur, BJP's Yogesh Varma received 1,16,595 votes against 97,827 votes of SP candidate Utkarsh Verma Madhur.

Hailed Above Controversies

The party has sailed through protests, and opposition clamour over the incidents that took place in both regions last year.

Lakhimpur: The eight seats win has raised eyebrows, given the strength of opposition emotions in the aftermath of the farmers being mowed down by an SUV owned by Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra. People assumed a severe effect BJP's vote share in the region due to the incident, but the results have belied the predictions.

The district became the flashpoint for the elections, with opposition parties alleging the party being 'anti-farmer' and demanding Ashish Mishra's resignation from the cabinet.

Hathras: The party came to the limelight in September 2020, after a 19-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped in Hathras by four upper-caste men. Initially, it was reported that one accused had tried to kill her, though later in her statement to the magistrate, the victim named four accused of having raped her.

The victim's brother claimed that no arrests were made in the first ten days after the incident. She succumbed to her injuries in Delhi hospital and was later cremated. Her cremation was in the headlines, and it was conducted in the middle of the night at around 2:00 am by UP Police without the consent or knowledge of the victim's family.

The case and its handling drew outrage among citizens and caught international media attention. The BJP and Adityanath received criticism from across the country.

Reportedly, it is for the first time after more than three decades that the party has witnessed a clean win in the electorally essential state, especially when surrounded by controversies.

Also Read: From Comedian To Face Of Punjab: Journey Of AAP's First CM-Elect Bhagwant Mann