Kamalpreet

Prominent OBC face and former minister in Yogi Aditynath’s cabinet, Swami Prasad Maurya has lost the Fazilnagar seat by over 36,000 votes, the Election Commission numbers showed as counting continues for election in five assemblies, including Uttar Pradesh on March 10.

Maurya was defeated by his nearest rival Surendra Singh Kushwaha of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Maurya bagged over 32,100 votes Kushwaha polled over 58,700 votes, according to the poll panel numbers.  Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Ilyas Ansari,  an SP turncoat, polled over 17,000 votes in this election.

Kushwaha is also a prominent OBC face and is the son of BJP MLA Ganga Singh Kushwaha, who had won from the seat in 2017.

Maurya deserted the BJP on January 14 to join the SP, after serving as labor minister in the Yogi cabinet for five years. He chose Fazilnagar, in Kushinagar district, instead of adjoining stronghold Padrauna where he was said to be facing strong anti-incumbency.

Maurya had represented Padrauna for four terms since 2007.

The BJP, which was leading in 262 seats along with its allies, at around 4.30 pm, is set to script history by retaining power in Uttar Pradesh, where a party hasn’t won a successive term since 1985.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party was leading in 135 seats, a considerable improvement from 47 seats in 2017.