BJP alliance partner AD(S) Rinki Kole defeats SP’s Kirti in Chhanbey byelection

Varanasi: Apna Dal (Sonelal) candidate Rinki Kole (76,176) on Saturday defeated Samajwadi Party’s Kirti Kole (66,587) by a margin of 9,589 votes to win Chhanbey assembly by-election in Mirzapur district.
District election officer Divya Mittal said, “Following 32 rounds of counting for the Chhanbey assembly by-election, Rinki Kole defeated Kirti Kole by a margin of 9,589 votes.”
A total of eight candidates were in fray for the Chhanbey assembly by-election. Since the beginning of counting in the morning a neck-and-neck contest was evident between BJP alliance AD(S) and SP candidates. But, Rinki maintained the lead over Kirti in most of the rounds.
In 2022, Rahul Prakash Kole of the Apna Dal (Soneylal) won the seat by defeating Kirti of the Samajwadi Party with
a margin of 38,113 votes. Rahul had died of cancer after which a by-election became inevitable and AD(S) showed faith in his wife Rinki.