The India Today-Axis My India Exit Poll has predicted that the BJP could win 5-6 Assembly bypoll seats in Uttar Pradesh.
As per the Exit Polls, the Samajwadi Party could win 1-2 seats and the BSP 0-1 assembly seats where bypolls were held.
“If these estimates hold true, the BJP's vote share in Uttar Pradesh stands strong at 37 per cent. At the same time, Congress' vote share in UP is an estimated 8 per cent, while the SP retained its 27 percent vote share, the BSP also managed to hold on to its 20 percent vote share,” says the India Today-Axis My India Exit Poll.
Political analyst Athar Hussain says, “Bypolls are usually won by the ruling dispensation.”
Bypolls for seven seats were held peacefully on November 3 with an average 53.6 per cent electorate using their franchise.
Six out of seven seats were earlier held by BJP, while one was with the Samajwadi Party. The constituencies include the ones vacated by rape convict Kuldeep Sengar and ace cricketer-minister Chetan Chauhan.
BJP hopes to ink victory riding on Ram Temple Bhoomi pujan and Love Jihad planks. Besides, CM Yogi Adityanath himself had done aggressive campaigning on all these seats.
The seats earlier with the BJP are— Bulandshahr, Naugawan Sadat (Amroha), Tundla, Ghatampur (Kanpur), Bangarmau (Unnao), and Deoria.
The BJP won these seats in the landslide election of 2017, most of these wins being the first for the party at these seats in over a decade.
The Malhani seat (Jaunpur) was with the Samajwadi Party.
While BJP is contesting all seven seats, Samajwadi Party has fielded candidates on six seats only and has given one seat to its ally Rashtriya Lokdal.
Congress and BSP had fielded candidates on all seven seats.
The Opposition hopes people would reject the BJP due to what they call “poor law and order” — especially crime against women and the Dalits such as in Hathras case. Besides, they hope to consolidate their base encashing the anger among farmers and youth due to recent agriculture laws and joblessness.
