"Down But Not Out", Say BJP Leaders After Bypoll Results

Lucknow: The electoral losses suffered by the BJP in the recently held by-elections in Kairana and Noorpur seats in Uttar Pradesh may have given the opposition a reason to smile, but BJP leaders believe they are "down but not out".

UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi told PTI that despite the losses suffered in the bypolls, the BJP is optimistic about the outcome of the 2019 general election from UP, a politically important state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

"We are down but not out," he said, when asked to comment on three successive defeats suffered by the party in the Lok Sabha by-elections this year in the state.

To begin with, he said, the winning margin of Tabassum Hasan, the joint opposition candidate fielded by the RLD in Kairana Lok Sabha seat, was 44,618 votes over Mriganka Singh of the BJP.

Compared to this, in 2014 general elections, BJP's Hukum Singh defeated his nearest rival by a huge margin of 2,36,828 votes, Mr Tripathi added.

Again, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, polling percentage in Kairana was 73 percent , as compared to 54 last week.

A senior party leader said traditionally a higher polling percentage has always worked in favour of the BJP.

Mr Tripathi said the scenario of a better and much higher turnout will occur in the 2019 general elections in the constituency, as also throughout the state, thereby, favouring the ruling party.

About Noorpur Assembly constituency, he said the victory margin of SP candidate Naimul Hasan over BJP candidate Avni Singh was 5,662 votes as compared to the 2017 UP election, when Lokendra Singh of the BJP defeated Mr Hasan by a bigger margin of 12,736 votes.

"The 2017 UP assembly elections had witnessed a voter turnout of 66.9 percent, as compared to 61 per cent in the recently held assembly bypoll," Mr Tripathi said.

The by-election to Noorpur was necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Lokendra Singh in a road accident. Mr Lokendra's wife Avni was given the BJP ticket but she lost.

The Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll was ordered after sitting BJP MP Hukum Singh died. His daughter, Mriganka, was fielded by the BJP.

Optimistic that the BJP will emerge victorious in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2022 UP assembly elections, Mr Tripathi said, "We are confident that the voters in UP will elect BJP candidates both in the coming Lok Sabha and also UP assembly elections."

Party leaders also claimed that the voting percentage in the Lok Sabha and UP assembly elections will increase and it will definitely give BJP a reason to smile.

"Once the voting percent goes up, our party will trounce its political opponents," another senior party leader said.