New Delhi: The farmers' protest, held at Delhi's borders for 15 months, failed to affect BJP's poll prospects in UP and other states, where Assembly elections were held recently and results were declared on Thursday.
BJP retains power in Uttar Pradesh. Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader Yogendra Yadav, while talking to news channels, accepted that the protest had no impact on the Assembly election results.
Yadav tweeted, "Election results are disappointing but not surprising. It is a setback for the struggle to save the soul of India. The road to 2024 was always tough, it got tougher today. India will put up a fight. We shall reclaim our republic."
He said the farmers' protest helped to discredit the established parties in Punjab. However, new political outfits took advantage of the vacuum created over the period of time, owing to disappointment with the established parties. The agitating farmers did not support AAP in Punjab, but it won the Assembly elections. Therefore, it will be unfair to say the farmers' protest helped them, he added.
"Some of our members jumped into the polls fray without having any planning, which helped other parties," he noted.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait tweeted in Hindi, "In the great festival of democracy, the decision of people is supreme. The farmers' movement showed its effect. We hope all the governments that have been formed will work for the upliftment of farmers and labourers in their respective states. Congratulations to all on victory."
BJP bagged all eight Assembly seats in Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh, which hogged the headlines on October 3 last year, as a violent incident led to the death of eight people, including four farmers, during the farmers protest.
The opposition parties questioned BJP over the incident during the election campaigns, but the ruling party defeated their nearest rival by a wide margin on all eight seats.
BJP's candidate Shashank Verma from Nighasan, where the violence took place won the assembly seat by 40,716 votes. He got votes over 1,22452 while his nearest rival of SP candidates RS Khuswaha got 81,736.
In Palia seats, BJP candidate Harvinder Singh Sahni won the seat with a margin of 38,129, defeating SP's Pritinder Singh Kakku . Arvind Giri, who was contesting from Gola Gokarannath, also won the seat with a margin of 29,294 votes by defeating SP candidate Vinay Tiwari.
In Srinagar seat, BJP woman candidate Manju Tyagi defeated her nearest rival of SP candidate Ram Saran with a margin of 17 , 608 votes. BJP candidate Yogesh Verma, who was contesting from Lakhimpur, defeated SP candidate Utkarsh Verma Madhur with a margin of 9,629 votes.
In the Kasta seat, Saurabh Singh of BJP defeated SP candidate Suneel Kumar Lala (13,817). In Mohammid, the BJP candidate Lokendra Pratap Singh registered a win over SP candidate with a margin of 4871 votes whereas, Vinod Shankar, who was contesting from Dhaurahara seat, defeated the SP candidate Varun Singh (24,610).
BJP had won all the eight seats of Lakhimpur Kheri in 2017, but this time the contest was expected to be difficult, especially after the opposition stepped up the attack following Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra's son Ashish's release on bail a few days ahead of the polling.
Lakhimpur Kheri went to polls in the fourth phase of polling on February 23, and recorded 62.45 per cent voter turnout. (UNI)