SP retains UP's Ghosi assembly seat, its candidate defeats BJP nominee by over 42,000 votes
Lucknow(PTI): Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh on Friday defeated his BJP rival Dara Singh Chauhan in the Ghosi assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh with a margin of 42,759 votes, an official said.
The SP retained the seat with Singh garnering 1,24,427 votes. Chauhan got 81,668 votes, according to the Election Commission (EC).
The counting of votes for the bypoll, which is being seen as the first major electoral clash between the ruling NDA and the INDIA opposition bloc, began at 8 am.
The fate of the 10 candidates in the fray was sealed by the voters on Tuesday. A voter turnout of 50.77 per cent was recorded in Ghosi, which falls in Mau district.
The Ghosi bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Chauhan, who won the seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, from the SP in July. He returned to the BJP and was fielded by the party in the bypoll.
In the 2022 state Assembly polls, Chauhan had defeated BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Rajbhar by a margin of 22,216 votes.
In the bypoll, Chauhan was supported by NDA constituents Apna Dal (Sonelal), Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), a former SP ally.
On the other hand, some INDIA bloc constituents -- Congress, CPI(M), CPI, RLD, AAP, CPI(ML)-Liberation and Suheldev Swabhiman Party -- extended support to Singh.
The bypoll will have no bearing on the BJP government, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the 403-member state Assembly. However, its outcome could be an indicator of what is in store for the 2024 Lok Sabha election for the INDIA bloc.
Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the 543-member Lok Sabha.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
2 days' WFH for govt offices, Metro use by ministers: Delhi CM's call for fuel conservation
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday announced a slew of measures including two days of 'work from home' (WFH) for government offices, use of Metro trains on Mondays by ministers and officers, and a voluntary 'no-vehicle day' every week.
Gupta said in a press conference attended by her Cabinet colleagues that the government has drawn an extensive plan under "Mera Bharat, Mera Yogdan" to implement the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saving fuel and wise expenditure.
She said all Delhi government offices will follow WFH two days a week. The private sector will also be requested to follow it, she said.
Gupta said all ministers, officers and she herself will use Metro for commuting on Mondays while people will be requested to observe 'no-vehicle day' every week.
The government has also decided to cancel all official foreign visits by ministers for one year while no big events will be hosted by it for the next three months, she said.
The chief minister said petrol and diesel quotas of the Delhi government officers have also been slashed by 20 per cent.
Earlier, Gupta headed a meeting with all her Cabinet ministers and senior officers of the government to discuss ways to save fuel and other resources amid global uncertainty over crude oil and gas supplies.
The chief minister has also cut down on her carcade by 60 per cent, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to people to spend wisely and save fuel in view of the war in West Asia.
The chief minister's convoy now has only four vehicles, including two EVs.
