Uttar Pradesh assembly announces Ghosi as vacant seat

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday announced the Ghosi assembly seat as vacant with effect from July 17 when SP MLA Dara Singh Chauhan formally tendered his resignation from Vidhan Sabha membership to speaker Satish Mahana and joined the BJP.
With this the seat is set for a by poll amid opposition stepping up its aggression against the ruling BJP.Sources said that the ruling saffron dispensation will not leave any stone unturned to win the seat which slipped out of its hand in 2022 assembly polls when Dara turned rebel and switched over to the SP.
The SP had then forged an alliance with the Om Prakash Rajbhar led SBSP which has a perceptible foothold amongst the OBCs, primarily the Rajbhars in the east UP region. With SBSP boss too in the saffron camp, the BJP hopes to win back the seat.
BJP sources said that the party high command would take a call on the choice of candidate for Ghosi once the election commission announces the by poll. Sources do not rule the possibility of BJP fielding Chauhan from the seat in the by poll, amid whirling speculations that he might eventually be accommodated in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet.
As a matter of fact, the Ghosi Lok Sabha seat too had fallen vacant in May after the BSP MP Afzal Ansari was indicted by a MP/MLA court in a criminal case. Ansari, brother of gangster Mukhtar Ansari was sentenced to imprisonment.