UP byelections: 43% turnout in Gorakhpur, 37.39% in Phulpur

43% voters cast their mandate in the Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency on Sunday while Phulpur recorded an even lesser, 37.39%, turnout as the crucial bypolls to the two Lok Sabha seats were held peacefully, the state election office said.

Polling began at 7am and passed off peacefully at 5pm, the state election office said.

The bypolls were necessitated after UP CM Yogi Adityanath and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated their Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats after getting elected to the state legislative council.

After casting his vote in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said the BJP was getting widespread support.

“The people know that development is the only panacea,” he told reporters there. Asked about the SP and BSP entering an electoral understanding, Adityanath said it would have no effect on the outcome of the polls.

The saffron party has fielded Kaushalendra Singh Patel from Phulpur and Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur against the SP’s Pravin Nishad and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel, respectively. The Congress has nominated Sureetha Kareem for Gorakhpur and Manish Mishra for Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.

Gorakhpur is significant for the BJP as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who represented the seat Lok Sabha five times.

Polling also took place in Bihar for Araria Lok Sabha seat, and Jehanabad and Bhabua assembly constituencies.

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