UP bypolls: SP’s Dimple Yadav leading in family bastion at Mainpuri over BJP candidate

Counting of votes began today morning for Mainpuri parliamentary constituency, previously represented by Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. The counting started at 8 am and the results are likely to come in by the afternoon.In Mainpuri, SP president Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav is pitted against BJP's Raghuraj Singh Shakya, once a close associate of Shivpal Singh Yadav. Shakya joined the BJP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls held earlier this year.

In Mainpuri, Dimple Yadav has taken a lead of over 36,000 votes over her nearest rival BJP candidate Raghuraj Singh Shakya as of 10.20 am. Dimple Yadav got more than 69% of the votes counted so far.

Mainpuri parliamentary constituency, which fell vacant after the death of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, registered 54.01 per cent voting.

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The bypolls are witnessing a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress are not in the fray.

Though the outcome of the results on the three places would not make much difference to the government at the Centre as well as in Uttar Pradesh as the BJP has a comfortable majority at both the places, a win would give psychological advantage to the winner in the run-up to the 2024 general election.

*With inputs from agencies