BSP's Uma Shankar Singh (Photo/Facebook) As BSP reduced to just one seat to its all time low in its home state Uttar Pradesh, the sole winner was BSP sitting MLA from Rasra Assembly seat in Ballia Uma Shankar Singh from Ballia district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Asked about his lone victory and downfall of BSP, Uma Shankar said after the counting that it is all a issue of review but it is worth noticing that while BSP had got less seats even in 2017 but its vote share was 1.9 per cent higher than SP but it dipped far low than Samajwadi Party this time.
Uma Shankar Singh has been winning the seat for past two elections despite all odds for his party both in 2012 as well as in 2017 and was BSP sitting MLA from the seat.
This time, he was given close fight by Mahendra, candidate of Samajwadi Party alliance partner Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Part. While Uma Shankar got close to 76,000 votes, Mahendra got about 70,000 votes pushing BJP candidate Babban to the third place.
While many are wondering that who is the sole winner of BSP, Uma Shankar in Rasra carries the image of a “robin hood” giving free bees from his personal funds and helping generously in the marriages of poor. One of his most popular free bee in past 5 years has been “free public” wifi in Rasra otherwise underdeveloped constituency. Otherwise a contractor, Singh had first contested poll in 2012 and then in 2017. This is his third victory from the seat.
There is a belief in Rasra that even if he is MLA of opposition party, he can get the development work done for his constituency with persuasion and locals credit his victory to his “personal support base” more than that of the party.
Asked about his victory, he credited it to the “workers” and “public of rasra” assembly constituency.
However, he lamented that it was a close fight with the candidate of a regional party, who had never visited the constituency in the past.
As for BSP losing in rest of the state and he being the lone winner, Singh said, “Pratyashi 403 they.. jaroor iski shamiksha humare rashtriya adhyaksha Mayawati kar rahi hongi.. Yeh jaroor Samiksha ka vishaya hai humara graph itna kam hua.. 2017 mein bhi hum seat kam paye they lekin humare SP se 1.9 per cent vote adhik tha, yeh sab Samiksha ka vishaya hai” (There were 403 candidates.. While our national president Mayawati ji must be reviewing this.. It is certainly a matter or review that why our graph has come down so much.. In 2017 also we had got low number of seats but still our vote share was 1.9 per higher than Samajwadi Party)
He further said, “Agar party ki haar hui hai to use swikar kar raha hun.”
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