LS bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar see low turnouts

The Lok Sabha bypolls for crucial seats of Phulpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, termed a rehearsal for the 2019 general election by CM Yogi Adityanath, witnessed low turnouts on Sunday.  

While his stronghold Gorakhpur saw 43% voting, it was 37.39% in Phulpur. The BJP 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 BSP had pooled in resources to help its rival Samajwadi Party defeat the BJP on both the seats.  

Bihar’s Araria constituency, which also saw the RJD joining hands with the Congress against Nitish’s JD-U and the BJP, witnessed moderate polling of 57%. Here, the contest is between the RJD’s Sarafaraz Alam (son of Taslimuddin whose death necessitated the bypoll), and the BJP’s Pradip Singh, the winner in 2009 and runners up in 2014.