UP BJP chief vows to win all 10 assembly seats in UP bypolls

Lucknow, Jul 14 (PTI) The BJP will win the upcoming bypolls to 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, the party’s state president, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, said on Sunday, a day after the BJP-led NDA’s dismal performance in by-elections in seven states.

The Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule for the assembly bypolls in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

In a boost to the INDIA bloc, its members won the bypolls to 10 of the 13 assembly constituencies in seven states, while the BJP managed to bag two and an Independent pocketed one as votes were counted on Saturday.

While addressing the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh working committee meeting here, Chaudhary urged party workers to take a pledge for ensuring the victory of BJP candidates in the forthcoming bypolls in the state.

This was also the first major meeting of the state BJP unit after the Lok Sabha polls, in which the party won 33 seats, down from 62 it clinched in 2019. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament.

Of the 10 assembly seats in the state were bypoll is due, nine fell vacant after the MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha in the recent polls. The Sismau assembly seat fell vacant following Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Irfan Solanki’s disqualification after he was sentenced to a seven-year jail term in an arson case.

Targeting opposition parties such as the Congress and the SP, Chaudhary, without taking names, said the next battle (bypolls) is with “members of selfish political dynastic families”. The battle is between “anti-national forces and nationalist forces”, he said.

Chaudhary encouraged BJP workers to visit every booth, promote government schemes and counter opposition rumours as he assured them that their respect is the party’s priority. The BJP stands shoulder-to-shoulder with all its workers, he said.

By-elections are to be held in Uttar Pradesh’s Karhal, Milkipur, Katehari, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, Phulpur, Majhawan and Sisamau assembly seats.

“We are committed to fulfil (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji’s resolution to make India a developed nation by 2047. We have to gear up and put in our best efforts to defeat our rivals in the 2027 assembly elections,” the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief told workers.

He urged party workers to actively engage with the people to expose the opposition’s “divisive conspiracies”.

Talking about unity and inclusivity, Chaudhary stressed on the need to embrace and support weaker sections of society and advance the state’s development collectively.

Terming the Congress “Bhasmasur” (a mythological demon), he said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav should be beware that the Congress’ intentions are to “usurp Muslim votes”.

“The BJP is the only party, which is firm on its ideology. The Congress has no ideology. It has always opposed Baba Saheb Ambedkar and never considered him worthy of contesting elections in its organisation,” the BJP leader said as he congratulated the Modi government for deciding to observe June 25, the day the Emergency was declared in 1975, as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’.

The meeting saw attended by prominent BJP members, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and local leaders, Uttar Pradesh BJP co-media in-charge Abhay Pratap Singh told PTI.