Ghosi Assembly bypoll: 50.7% turnout recorded, less than 2022 elections

There are 10 candidates in the fray but the main fight is between BJP’s Dara Singh Chauhan and SP candidate Sudhakar Singh. The Congress extended its support to the SP, while the BSP stayed away from the bypoll.

The bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of Chauhan as the Samajwadi Party’s Ghosi MLA from the UP Assembly. Chauhan was elected from the seat in 2022 but had to resign from the Assembly membership to join the BJP in July.

As the voting began Tuesday morning, the Samajwadi Party (SP) levelled several allegations against the BJP government such as misusing the administration and police during the bypoll. The SP also alleged that the state police acted like a BJP’s wing.

SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said BJP office bearers and the police worked together to stop minorities and OBCs from casting their votes and that a large number of voters were denied their voting rights. Chaudhary also alleged that voters in Muslim-dominated areas were thrashed and chased away to stop them from voting.

The BJP, meanwhile, sent complaints to the UP Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that Samajwadi Party’s workers were mounting pressure on voters to cast votes in support of their candidate. The ruling party also alleged that “Yadav” polling personnel were asking voters to vote for the SP.

Special DG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said the polling was free of any untoward incident and peaceful. Kumar termed the allegations levelled by the SP as “political”.

Earlier, the Ghoshi Assembly constituency had gone to a bypoll in 2019 when 51.51 per cent polling was recorded.