BJP wins Moradabad mayoral by-election

New Delhi: Citing its win in the Moradabad mayoral by-election, BJP on Friday claimed that people have “rejected” Samajwadi Party and decided to vote it to power in the state’s assembly polls scheduled to be held early next year.

“The win is the beginning of the BJP’s comeback to the power in the state. People have rejected the Akhilesh Yadav government which has been protecting and promoting criminals. It has also rejected the vote bank politics of BSP and Congress,” its national secretary Shrikant Sharma said. He said Congress had run a vigorous campaign, including road shows, but could fetch only 6830 votes, which shows its “irrelevance” in the state.

BJP candidate Vinod Agarwal today emerged victorious, retaining the post held by his late wife Bina Agarwal by a convincing margin. Agarwal secured 66,535 out of the total 1,36,000 votes cast, with Samajwadi Party rival Raj Kumar Prajapati coming in second with 30,760 votes.