Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Times of India
The Times of India
National
TNN

Azamgarh, Rampur Lok Sabha byelections: Saffron surge sinks Samajwadi forts

LUCKNOW: In a stunning upset, BJP wrested Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats from the Samajwadi Party in the bypolls on Sunday. Azamgarh was vacated by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rampur by party veteran Azam Khan. While SP-import Ghanshyam Lodhi won by over 42,000 votes against Azam's man Friday Asim Raja in Rampur, Bhojpuri film star and BJP's 'balladeer' Nirahua won a roller-coaster Azamgarh battle, which kept swinging both ways throughout the day.

Nirahua ultimately won by nearly over 8,500 votes, breaking the myth of Muslim-Yadav votebank that gave all 10 seats of the district to SP in the just-concluded assembly polls. He had also contested against SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and polled more than 3.5 lakh votes. His vote share this time was a little less -- 3.12 lakh.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.