'The beginning of the end has started,' tweets Mamata Banerjee on bypoll results
Follow UsSamajwadi Party candidates were leading in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies after initial rounds of counting of votes cast in the by-elections.
Besides these seats and Bihar's Araria, counting of votes also commenced on Wednesday amid tight security for the Assembly constituencies Jahanabad and Bhabua in Bihar.
Reacting to BJP’s poor show in the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh bypolls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said “the beginning of the end has started” as she congratulated the SP, BSP and the RJD.
In a series of tweets, Mamata said: “Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and @yadavakhilesh Ji for #UPByPolls. The beginning of the end has started.”
Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and @yadavakhilesh Ji for #UPByPolls The beginning of the end has started
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2018
Congratulations to @laluprasadrjd Ji for winning #Araria and #Jehanabad This is a great victory
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2018
The RJD-led Grand Alliance in Bihar took a lead over the BJP in the Araria Lok Sabha and the Jahanabad Assembly seats while the BJP was ahead in the Bhabhua Assembly seat.
SP workers have started celebrations in Lucknow and raised 'Bhua-Bhateeja zindabad' slogans.
The SP-BSP alliance seems to be wresting control of Gorakhpur from the BJP as the alliance has taken a lead of over 15,000 votes.
The seat, represented by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for last five terms, is considered the saffron party's stronghold.
In Phulpur, a seat formerly held by deputy CM Keshav Maurya, the Samajwadi Party is leading by over 23, O00 votes.
The voter turnout was 47.45% in Gorakhpur and 37.39% in Phulpur on March 11. Gorakhpur is significant for the BJP as it is the bastion of the chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times.