Yogi sets eyes on UP by-election due to the death of BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal

Buoyed by the victory in the recently concluded urban local bodies elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has now set his eyes on the forthcoming Sikandara assembly by-election.

The assembly seat in Kanpur Dehat district fell vacant due to the death of sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Mathura Prasad Pal.

Although the BJP nominee had secured over 87,000 votes and trounced his nearest BSP nominee by over 38,000 votes, the saffron party  is not taking any chances.

Both Adityanath and his deputy Dinesh Sharma addressed election meetings in the constituency for the party candidate Ajit Pal Singh.  The two leaders promised to ensure all-round development of the constituency in their speeches.

Since the BSP has chosen not to field its candidate in the by-poll, Samajwadi Party (SP) nominee Seema Sachan hopes to give a tough fight to the BJP. The SP had finished third in the 2017 assembly election on the seat.

"The absence of the BSP gives us a chance this time.....our nominee can scrape through if we can prevent split of the opposition votes," said a senior SP leader here on Sunday.

However, the presence of the Congress has put a dampener to the hopes of the SP. The Congress and SP had contested the 2017 assembly polls as allies and both received severe drubbing.  

The SP leaders said the Congress should not have fielded its candidate. "It would also have been a test of the possible grand alliance in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019," said an SP leader.

The by-poll is slated for December 21.