Clashes after BJP supported man wins student elections

While counting was in progress, supporters from both SP and BJP were raising slogans. As BJP supported candidate Rinkal Katiyar was declared winner on president’s post, brick-batting ensued leaving several injured.

The SP group was led by Dimple’s representative in Kannauj, Nawab Singh Yadav, while the BJP group was led by Subrat Pathak who had lost to Dimple by a narrow margin of 20,000 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. A grand victory procession led by Pathak was also taken out in the city.

“There is resentment against SP among people. We have raised genuine issues like illegal mining and corruption by SP-backed contractors. It is victory of justice,” Subrat Pathak claimed.

SP blamed BSP for its loss. “We had the president’s post for past two years. It is all due to BSP candidate Ajay Pal Dohre whose nomination was cancelled and the Dalit votes moved to the BJP-supported candidate. Another Yadav candidate, too, spoiled things for us,” Yadav told The Indian Express.

Katiyar won by 157 votes defeating Anant Yadav supported by SP’s Nawab Singh Yadav. A group of SP workers, who are against Nawab Singh, fielded Ravesh Yadav who bagged 218 votes.

“All our anti-votes went to BJP supported candidate. Since I supported Anant Yadav, all SP workers also supported him,” Nawab claimed.
Nawab had started his career in politics from PSM college when he was president in 1996-97.

For its part, BJP is terming the victory as huge.  BJP leader Veer Singh Bhadauria, who is in-charge of Tirwa assembly segment and was students’ union president in 1998-99, and Subrat Pathak were on the forefront during campaigning even as students were relegated to the background.