Samajwadi Party retains Varanasi teachers seat, leads in graduates poll in PM Modi’s constituency
· India · Indian Express, Times of India
The Samajwadi Party retained the Varanasi teachers constituency, with Lal Bihari Yadav defeating BJP’s Pramod Kumar Mishra by 5,015 votes. In the Varanasi graduates seat, SP’s sitting MLC Ashutosh Sinha is set to win by a margin larger than his 2020 victory of 3,850 votes, and counting was still ongoing after 49 hours. Of the 11 Uttar Pradesh legislative council seats polled, the BJP has won six and the Samajwadi Party four, with the Varanasi graduates result pending. Both parties are holding sit-ins at the counting centre, accusing each other of irregularities. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had campaigned for the BJP ahead of the polls. The seats are seen as indicators of educated-class sentiment ahead of the state assembly elections.
Why it matters
The results show the Samajwadi Party gaining ground in Prime Minister Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency months before assembly polls, suggesting discontent among teachers and graduates over unemployment and exam paper leaks.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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