In a shot in the arm to the Mayawati government, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday wrested the Chiraigaon constituency from the Samajwadi Party in the assembly bypoll.
The party's strength in the now 111 in the 403 member house.
BSP candidate Virendra Singh defeated SP's Anil Rajbhar, son of Ramjit Rajbhar, whose death necessitated the bypoll, by 3,510 votes.
"The victory proves that the popularity of Chief Minister Mayawati is on the upswing," BSP Minister Sukhdev Rajbhar said.
Top leaders like SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Kranti Party leader Kalyan Singh had campaigned for the crucial bypoll held amidst opposition claims of Mayawati losing majority in the wake of withdrawal of support of the 14-member Rashtriya Lok Dal.
The bypoll, which was held on June 21, was earlier slated for May 21, but was postponed following reports that the district administration was sympathetic towards the BSP candidate.
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