BJP Wins Gorakhpur MLC Seat After Trailing, SP Alleges Foul Play

The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) election in the Gorakhpur‑Faizabad Teachers’ constituency ended with BJP’s Dhruv Kumar Tripathi winning after a close count, while the Samajwadi Party’s independent candidate Rajeev Yadav finished second. The counting process lasted over 35 hours and was marred by allegations of irregularities.

Key Facts

• BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi secured victory with a margin of over 300 votes.
• He received 11,881 first‑preference votes, ahead of independent Rajeev Yadav (11,415) and SP candidate Dr Sanjayan Tripathi (8,301).
• The counting spanned more than 35 hours and was criticized for lack of transparency.
• Both the SP candidate and the Samajwadi Party boycotted the counting process.
• BJP has won six of the eleven MLC seats; the Samajwadi Party won four, including the Varanasi Teachers’ seat.
• The result is expected to be closely watched ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.