The ruling Samajwadi Party got a shot in the arm when its candidate Vinodmani Tripathi wrested the Pharenda Assembly seat in Maharajganj district from the BJP in the bypolls. The results were announced on Sunday. The SP candidate beat his nearest Congress candidate Virendra Choudhury by 9,231votes in a triangular contest. The BJP was pushed to third position.
According to Election Commission, Vinodmani polled 64,878 votes while his nearest rival Congress candidate Virendra Choudhury got 55,647 votes. BJP candidate and outgoing member Bajranj Bahadur Singh was on the third spot and received 41,247 votes. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not contest. The polling for the bypolls was held on April 30 when around 52 per cent of the total 3.23 lakh voters used their right of franchise. The seat fell vacant after BJP’s Bajrang Bahadur Singh was disqualified after lokayukta’s probe found him guilty of procuring Government contract work despite being a law maker. On the recommendations of lokayukta, the Governor disqualified him.
Singh had moved the Court and the bypolls was stalled following Supreme Court orders. But the court allowed re-poll after intervention of Election Commission. The result has come as a shocker for BJP. In the lok Sabha elections the party won 71 of the 80 seats. Many legislators won lok Sabha polls ensuring re-poll. The Party lost 11 by-polls — including the seats of Hukum Singh (Kairana) and Uma Bharati (Charkhari).
The Pharenda bypoll results have a sliver lining for Congress. “The result is clear indicator that magic of Modi is on wane. The party is losing ground very fast. The Congress is moving up. People know Congress is better bet than BJP,” Congress spokesman Amarnath Agarwal said.