UP Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP Ecstatic at Win, BSP Alleges Sabotage

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the BJP’s victory exposed the “opportunistic face” of the SP.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flashes the victory sign with newly elected BJP MPs of Rajya Sabha after BJP wins 9 seats in UP, in Lucknow. 

(Photo: PTI)

In an election marred by cross-voting, invalid votes, and the game of second-preference votes, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to pull off 9 of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, in a major setback for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-Samajwadi Party (SP) combined.

Besides BJP's prominent winner Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, others who made it to the Upper House of Parliament from the party are Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Yadav, GVL Narasimha Rao and ninth candidate Anil Kumar Agarwal, who pulled off a surprise win with the help of second preference votes.

Other candidates, including SP's actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan won with the help of first preference votes.

BSP Cries Foul Play

The BSP alleged sabotage in the elections by the BJP, accusing them of using “money power and state power” in the voting process.

Speaking to ANI after the results were declared, senior leader from the BSP, Satish Mishra said:

BJP used all its money power and their state powers in the voting. They did not let two of our people vote, they were not allowed to come out of the jail. Even when they had the orders from the court and the election commission.

The Allahabad High Court had denied permission to BSP's Mukhtar Ansari, currently lodged in Banda jail, to vote in the polls. And a court in Firozabad had rejected a petition by SP MLA Hariom Yadav, who is in Firozabad jail.

BJP Ecstatic at Big Win in UP

Addressing a press conference following the party’s victory, state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the victory had exposed the "opportunistic face" of the SP.

“The people of the state have seen the opportunistic face of the SP. It can take votes but not give votes in return,” he said, a reference to the SP’s victory with the help of BSP votes in the recent Lok Sabha bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur.

The chief minister said the SP's "opportunistic character" was not new and that "the people of the state have seen it over the years".

Adityanath said it was time to be careful to avoid falling into a deep pit in the future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated his party members who were elected to Rajya Sabha from various states and wished them fruitful political careers ahead.

The ninth candidate, Anil Agarwal, thanked the party’s top brass for his victory, stating that he was glad he had lived up to their expectations.

BJP President Amit Shah also congratulated his colleagues on the Rajya Sabha victory. Shah thanked BJP’s allies for their support and urged the elected representatives to raise matters of public interest.

Reacting to the BSP’s claims of sabotage, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the party doesn’t stoop to ‘cheap’ tricks in order to win elections.

BJP doesn’t use such cheap tricks to win elections. BSP should see and introspect that the party that supported them, actually betrayed them at the end.

He further cautioned BSP honcho to ‘recognise the SP’s true identity.’ There were 11 candidates for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats and 37 first preference votes were required for victory in each seat.

(With inputs from PTI)