BJP candidate Akash Saxena has won in Samajwadi Party founding leader Azam Khan’s bastion Rampur Sadar in Uttar Pradesh, defeating Asim Raja, Khan’s close aide and SP candidate.
The Hindutva party won in Rampur for the first time on Thursday.
Bypoll to the Rampur Sadar seat was necessitated after the SP veteran leader was sentenced to three years in jail in a case and subsequently disqualified as MLA. Azam Khan cannot contest elections for the next six years due to his conviction.
Saxena, who won by a margin of 33,702 votes, has been handed over the winners certificate by the Returning officer, reported PTI.
“The BJP has won the Rampur seat for the first time. For this, congratulations to all workers of Rampur, including Akash Saxena, and thanks to the almighty public (for support),” Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said in a tweet in Hindi.
The bypoll was held on December 5.