2 seats in Uttar Pradesh fell vacant after Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya resigned. (File)
UP by-polls, to be held at Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats, are being viewed as a "rehearsal" for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While the ruling BJP, which registered a thumping victory in the 2017 UP Assembly polls by bagging 325 of 403 seats along with the allies, is attempting to retain both the seats, the Opposition parties are trying their best to snatch the two seats away from the ruling party. In a bid to do so, arch rivals Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party have come together for the first time in 25 years to topple BJP.
When is UP by-election?
UP by-election will be held on March 11, 2018, Sunday.
Where are UP by-election being held?
UP bypolls are going to be held on two constituencies - Gorakhpur and Phulpur.
Why are UP bypolls being held?
Yogi Adityanath vacated Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency after taking over as Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister. Phulpur seat was vacated by Keshav Prasad Maurya after taking over as Deputy Chief Minister.
Who are the contenders in UP by-election, Gorakhpur seat?
Upendra Shukla from BJP, Praveen Nishad from SP, Surhita Chatterjee Karim from Congress are contesting the by-polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Who are the contenders in UP by-election, Phulpur seat?
Kaushalendra Singh Patel from the BJP, Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel from SP, Manish Mishra from Congress are contesting from the Phulpur seat in UP bypolls.
Why is Gorakhpur seat significant in UP bypolls?
Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat has been a bastion of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who has won from that seat five consecutive times. It's a prestige matter for BJP to register a victory on this seat. Mr Adityanath had secured over 50 per cent vote share in the last three elections, and is the party's face in this by-poll. He has been aggressively campaigning for the BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla, who is making debut with UP by-poll election.
Why is Phulpur seat significant in UP by-polls?
Phulpur was represented by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and later became the stronghold of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. It saw BJP's win for the first time with Keshav Prasad Maurya contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha election. After 2017 UP Assembly Elections, the seat was vacated by Mr Maurya as he took over as deputy chief minister. It's important for BJP to retain that seat.
When is UP by-polls results?
The UP by-election results will be declared on March 14.