Samajwadi Party dominates in Block Pramukh election in Varanasi, unimpressive in Azamgarh

VARANASI: While Samajwadi Party dominated the show in block development chief (BDC) election in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi, the Bhartiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and independent candidates stopped SP from winning more than 50% seats in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Azamgarh.
The election followed by counting of votes was scheduled in this two districts on Sunday.With the arrival of results following the end of counting process jubilation prevailed in SP camp in Varanasi. SP had already ensured unopposed victory of its candidates in Badagaon and Chiraigaon blocks.
With the beginning of polling eyes were kept on Araziline block where UP minister of state for PWD Surendra Patel had fielded Shakuntala Patel, the wife of his brother Mahendra Patel who is also MLA from Rohaniya. But, following a neck and neck contest Shakuntala lost to independent Nagina Devi here. Jailed mafia don Brijesh Singh’s nephew and former zila panchayat chairman Sujit Singh alias Doctor had managed tickets of SP for two women of his family and both of them succeeded in winning from Sevapuri and Pindra blocks. The SP had to phase defeat in Chiraigaon block also but it managed to win Kashi Vidyapeeth and Harahua seats.
Azamgarh district has 22 BDC seats. SP candidates had already become elected unopposed from four seats due to which polling took place for 18 seats only. Out of these 18 seats SP could win only Rani ki Sarai, Haraiyya, Koyalsa, Maharajganj, Mohammadpur and Ahraul seats. BJP could secure only four seats- Tehbarpur, Phoolpur, Pavai and Mortinganj- where Ramakant Yadav is influential. Bahujan Samaj Party’s candidates could emerge victorious from Mirzapur and Sathiyao seats only. Other six seats were bagged by musclemen backed independent candidates.