In Uttar Pradesh, a state that is witnessing Panchayat polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been dealt a rude shock from Jayapur, the village adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his constituency Varanasi.
According to reports, the BJP has won only 8 seats out of 58 in Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency. Counting is on and final results are awaited. An independent candidate supported by the Mayawati-backed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has defeated the saffron party’s candidate.
The result comes on a day when PM Modi is in poll-bound Bihar, adding final touches to his party’s aggressive campaign in the state. However, the narrative of shock is not just in Varanasi, but also prevalent in Amethi, the constituency represented by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. In Amethi, the party failed to win even one of the eight seats in Amethi.
However, the polls have given a thumbs-up to debutant Asad-ud-din Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), where the party’s candidate has won in Azamgarh, a Samajwadi Party (SP) bastion.
The AIMIM is also leading in two seats in Muzaffarnagar.
For the ruling SP, the polls have been a major setback. According to reports, kin of ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav-cabinet who contested the polls have lost.