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.