BJP A Cut Above SP In UP Bypolls: 'Batenge Toh Katenge' Trumped 'Judenge Toh Jeetenge', Say Analysts

Last Updated:November 23, 2024, 23:13 IST

Of the nine constituencies in the bypolls, the BJP won six, another seat was won by its ally RLD, while the opposition SP ended up with two

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav (right). (File images)

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party registered a thumping win on Saturday in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) by-elections held for nine assembly constituencies this month. Of the nine constituencies in the contest, the BJP won six, another seat was won by its ally RLD, while the opposition SP ended up with two. Political analysts described the outcome as a triumph of the BJP’s “Batenge toh katenge" (If divided, we will be slaughtered) narrative over the SP’s “Judenge toh jeetenge" (If united, we will be victorious) slogan.

Of the nine assembly seats on which the bypolls were held, eight fell vacant after their MLAs, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, were elected to the Lok Sabha in the April-June general elections, while the SP MLA from Sisamau (Kanpur), Irfan Solanki, was convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Among these, the BJP won Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Khair, Phulpur, Kundarki, and Katehari, while its ally RLD won Meerapur. The SP won Sisamau and Karhal.

Despite being bypolls, the elections saw a fierce contest between the BJP and SP.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who coined the “Batenge toh katenge" catchphrase, called the BJP’s victory a result of the UP administration’s zero-tolerance-for-crime policy and good governance while expressing his gratitude to the voters.

Yogi credits ‘double engine’, Akhilesh slams ‘corruption’

‘The victory of the BJP-NDA in the Uttar Pradesh assembly by-elections is a testament to the people’s unwavering faith in the successful leadership and guidance of the esteemed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This victory is the result of the security, good governance and public welfare policies of the double-engine government and the tireless hard work of dedicated workers. I express my gratitude to the respected voters of UP who voted for the good governance and development of UP and hearty congratulations to all the winning candidates. Batenge toh katenge, ek hain toh safe hain," CM Adityanath wrote on social media site X.

SP Akhilesh Yadav too took to X, slamming the “distorted" electoral politics witnessed during the polls. “The tactics of those who have made ‘election’ synonymous with ‘corruption’ have been captured in photographs and exposed before the world. The world, the country, and Uttar Pradesh saw the most distorted form of electoral politics in this by-election. There may be a time for falsehood but not an era. Now the real struggle has begun…clench your fist, tighten your fist, and make the PDA proclaim ‘Judenge toh jeetenge!" he said.

BJP took early lead

The counting of votes for the nine assembly constituencies started around 8am on Saturday. Since the beginning, the BJP took the lead on most of the seats. Around noon, the NDA was ahead in six constituencies and the SP in three. BJP’s Sanjeev Sharma was leading from Ghaziabad, Ramveer Singh from Kundarki, Deepak Patel from Phulpur, Surender Diler from Khair, Shuchismita Maurya from Majhawan, and ally RLD’s Mithlesh Pal from Meerapur. The Samajwadi Party’s Tej Pratap Singh, Naseem Solanki, and Shobhawati Verma were leading from Karhal, Sisamau, and Katehari. The BJP’s leads on six seats turned into victories, while the RLD managed to win one, and the SP netted two seats.

Fierce poll battle

“It was a one-of-its-kind by-election, which was fiercely fought no less than any assembly elections. It was mainly because the polls were being seen as a battle of prestige for the BJP after it suffered an unexpected setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as the party’s seat count dropped significantly," said Shashikant Pandey, head of the department of political science at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow.

The battle for Karhal (Mainpuri) remained the most interesting. The seat, which is considered an SP stronghold, saw party candidate Tej Pratap Singh register a win by a margin of over 14,000 votes. Singh secured 10,4304 votes, defeating his closest rival, BJP’s Anujesh Pratap Singh, who bagged 89,579 votes. Karhal is the seat SP president Akhilesh Yadav vacated after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj. Tej Pratap is a former MP from Mainpuri, nephew of Akhilesh Yadav, and son-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. The BJP, aiming to make inroads into the SP fortress, had fielded Anujesh Yadav, the brother-in-law of SP MP Dharmendra Yadav, setting up a family battle.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) evenly split the nine constituencies that went to bypolls this time. The SP secured Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, and Kundarki, while the BJP won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair. Meerapur was clinched by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which was then allied with the SP but has since joined the BJP-led NDA.

News elections BJP A Cut Above SP In UP Bypolls: 'Batenge Toh Katenge' Trumped 'Judenge Toh Jeetenge', Say Analysts