Sikandra By-Election Result 2017: BJP Set to Up Its UP Count, Leading in Seat of Phoolan Devi Fame

The BJP is leading with 24,823 votes in the by-election to the Sikandra Assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh, while the Samajwadi Party is at the second spot with 23,011 votes.

Braving cold weather, nearly 53 percent of the total 3.21 lakh electorate had cast their votes in the Sikandra Assembly seat of bandit Phoolan Devi fame.

Sikandra constituency falls in Kanpur Dehat district, a place which gained notoriety after the 1981 Behmai massacre of 21 upper caste Rajputs allegedly by Phoolan Devi and her gang to avenge her rape.

The by-election was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal on July 22 due to illness. The BJP had fielded Pal's son Ajit Pal Singh, who fought mainly against Seema Sachan of the Samajwadi Party and Prabhakar of the Congress party.

A total of 12 aspirants were in the contest, including five independent candidates.

In the 2017 Assembly polls, Mathura Pal had polled 87,879 votes, defeating the nearest Bahujan Samaj Party rival Mahendra Katiyar (Bablu), who got 49,776 votes.

In Behmai village, Phoolan Devi and her gang allegedly killed 21 Rajput men in 1981 to avenge her rape. She surrendered to the police in 1983 and went on to become an MP from Mirzapur. She was shot dead outside her Delhi residence on July 25, 2001.

For live updates, CLICK HERE