Uttar Pradesh bypolls: Apna Dal (Soneylal) candidate Rinki Kol pips SP rival Kirti Kol by 9,000 votes
In eastern UP, the fight for the Chhanbey (SC) seat in Mirzapur district was a direct one between the Apna Dal (S) and the Samajwadi Party.
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The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting Apna Dal (S) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol. The party fielded his wife, Rinki Kol, hoping to bag the seat riding on the ‘sympathy’ factor, said poll observers. (Facebook/Apna Dal) Apna Dal (Soneylal) candidate Rinki Kol defeated her nearest rival Samajwadi Party’s Kirti Kol by approximately 9,000 votes to win the Chhanbey Assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh Saturday.
In eastern UP, the fight for the Chhanbey (SC) seat in Mirzapur district was a direct one between the Apna Dal (S) and the Samajwadi Party. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting Apna Dal (S) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol. The party fielded his wife, Rinki Kol, hoping to bag the seat riding on the ‘sympathy’ factor, said poll observers.
The SP, on the other hand, once again put its trust in Kirti Kol, who had unsuccessfully contested the seat against Rahul Prakash Kol in 2022, when she lost by over 32,000 votes. Kirti is the daughter of former Robertganj MP and two-time Chhanbey MLA Bhai Lal Kol.
While the actual contest in Chhanbey was expected to be between the SP and the BJP ally Apna Dal (S), the Congress also fielded a candidate, giving the ticket to Ajay Kumar.
Chhanbey has a predominantly Kol population, while Patels, Brahmins, and Muslims are scattered throughout the constituency. The BJP had deployed Anupriya Patel, who has been campaigning in the constituency for weeks. BJP Rajya Sabha member Arun Singh, who hails from Baidha village under the Chhanbey seat, had also held a few public meetings in support of the Apna Dal (S) candidate. For the SP, its state president Naresh Uttam Patel was among the big names to campaign in Chhanbey.
While the BJP had focussed its campaign on “development work done under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi”, the SP focussed on basic issues such as water scarcity in the semi-arid area of Chhanbey.
With the win in Chhanbey, the Apna Dal (S) has won both seats in Uttar Pradesh that went to the bypolls. Earlier in the day, the party notched up a victory in the Suar seat in Rampur district.
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