Lucknow sources have stated that with the 2019 general election barely a year and half away and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) waking up to the prospect of fighting a united opposition, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh helmed by Yogi Adityanath will have a mini referendum of sorts in the parliamentary bypoll on the Gorakhpur and Phulpur (Allahabad) seats.
According to sources these two constituencies were hitherto represented by
chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya,
respectively, until they resigned yesterday following their election to the UP
Upper House (Vidhan Parishad) earlier this month. Their resignation has
necessitated by-elections to these seats, which would be announced by
the Election Commission of India (ECI) in due course.
However, the coming by poll would test the
popularity of the Yogi government among the masses as well as the renewed calls
for unity among the opposition parties such as Samajwadi Party, Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress to collectively take on the BJP.
