Counting of votes begins for by-elections of nine assembly seats of UP

Lucknow, Nov 23 (PTI) Counting of votes for by-elections on nine assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh began at 8 am on Saturday amid tight security, according to an official.

Voting for by-elections in the state's Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Kundarki (Moradabad), Ghaziabad, Khair (Aligarh), Karhal (Mainpuri), Sisamau (Kanpur Nagar), Phulpur (Prayagraj), Katehari (Ambedkarnagar) and Majhawan (Mirzapur) assembly constituencies was held on November 20.

According to official information, counting of votes began on all these nine seats at 8 am on Saturday amid tight security. A total of 90 candidates are in the fray in the nine assembly constituencies of the by-election, out of which 11 are women candidates.

Counting of votes will be completed in a minimum of 20 rounds in Sisamau and a maximum of 32 rounds in Kundarki, Karhal, Phulpur and Majhawan. A three-tier security arrangement has been made for the security of the counting venue.

While the results of the bypolls will not directly impact the composition of the 403-member state Assembly, the contest is being seen as a prestige fight between the BJP and opposition parties.

The bypolls were held on November 20 amid allegations from the SP that the local police prevented voters from reaching polling booths.

Acting on a complaint from the SP, the Election Commission took action against five policemen.

The results will determine the fate of the 90 candidates, including the highest number of 14 nominees from Ghaziabad and the lowest number of five candidates from Khair and Sisamau each.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the BJP won the Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair seats, while the SP secured victories in Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal and Kundarki. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which was an SP ally then, won the Meerapur seat. The party has since switched sides and is now a part of the BJP-led NDA.

While the Congress did not contest the bypolls, it extended support to the SP, its INDIA bloc ally. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) contested all nine seats independently, while Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) fielded candidates in Ghaziabad, Kundarki and Meerapur.

The Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), led by Chandrashekhar Azad, also contested all seats except Sisamau.

In the current Assembly, the BJP has 251 MLAs, followed by the SP (105).

BJP allies, such as Apna Dal (Sonelal), RLD, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and NISHAD Party, hold additional seats, while the Congress and the Jansatta Dal Loktantrik have two seats each and the BSP has one. PTI CDN GRS GRS