BSP wins UP Assembly

Although PPI is known for its support base among Muslims,it fielded Sachidanand Pandey,a Brahmin. Former SP leader Amar Singh campaigned for the PPI.

The by-election was necessitated after the death of BSP MLA Taufiq Ahmad in January. He had won by about 900 votes in 2007. The BSP fielded his widow this time. It pressed in all its forces to retain the seat,so did the SP and the Congress. The BJPs was a low-key campaign. As for the PPI,none took it seriously.

The BJP vote increased a little while the Congress polled almost the same number of votes as in 2007. However,the SP tally came down substantially. In 2007,SP candidate Yusuf Malik,whom the party fielded this time too,was the runner-up. The main reason for the SPs poor show is believed to be the presence of PPIs Pandey who polled a large number of Muslim votes.