UP by-poll result LIVE: Akhilesh thanks Mayawati for Gorakhpur, Phulpur

Lok Sabha by-elections 2018 in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Bihar's Araria being viewed as yet another test for BJP ahead of 2019 general elections

1:26 PM

Gorakhpur byelections 2018: SP's Praveen Kumar Nishad leading with 1,63,941 votes, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla second with 1,50,062 votes after 11th round of counting.

1:25 PM

Phulpur byelections 2018: Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel leading with 1,55,314 votes, BJP's Kaushlendra Singh Patel second with 1,34,819 votes after 14th round of counting. This means SP is leading by around 20,000 votes. 

1:23 PM

1:12 PM

Bihar Araria Lok Sabha bypolls: RJD leading with 257,108 votes, BJP second with 244,957 votes 

1:11 PM

Congress' Jyotiraditya Scindia on UP & Bihar Lok Sabha by polls: People have spoken against the anti-farmer, anti-youth & anti-women policies of the govt, it is very clear that BJP is being shown the door by the people: Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress, on UP & Bihar Lok Sabha by polls.

1:05 PM

Bihar bypolls 2018: BJP leading in two seats, RJD in one

The BJP was leading in the Araria Assembly bypolls and Bhabua Assembly bypolls, while its ally, the ruling JD(U) in the state, was trailing behind the RJD candidate in the Jehanabad Assembly seat after three hours of counting for the by-elections in Bihar, officials said.
 

 

According to figures provided by the Election Commission at 11 am, Pradeep Kumar Singh of the BJP was leading by a margin of more than 4,000 votes in the Araria Lok Sabha constituency.
 

 

Pradeep Kumar Singh is locked in a straight battle with RJD's Sarfaraz Alam, whose father Mohd Taslimuddin's demise had necessitated the bypoll.
 

 

The BJP was also leading in Bhabhua Assembly seat, where its candidate Rinky Rani Pandey was leading by a margin of over 2,500 votes.
 

 

The bypolls were necessitated after the death of Pandey's husband Anand Bhushan Pandey. The Congress has fielded Shambhu Singh Patel from the seat.
 

 

In Jehanabad, RJD's Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav had established a substantial lead of more than 15,000 votes over his JD(U) rival Abhiram Sharma.
 

 

The bypoll in this Assembly seat has been necessitated after the death of Yadav's father Mundrika Singh Yadav.

12:55 PM

Gorakhpur bypoll results 2018: SP's Praveen Kumar Nishad leading with a margin of 10,598 with 1,19,427 votes, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla second with 1,08,829 votes after eighth round of counting.

12:46 PM

Phulpur byelections: Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel leading by 15,713 votes with 122,247 votes, BJP's Kaushlendra Singh Patel second with 106,534 votes after 11th round of counting.

12:45 PM

What significance does Gorakhpur and Phulpur hold?

Gorakhpur is significant for the BJP as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Phulpur, once represented by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and Maurya won there.

12:38 PM

Gorakhpur bypolls 2018: SP's Praveen Kumar Nishad leading with 89950 votes, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla second with 82811 votes after 6th sound of counting.

12:37 PM

12:36 PM

Gorakhpur bypoll results 2018: SP's Praveen Kumar Nishad leading with 74,077 votes, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla second with 70,317 votes after fifth round of counting.

12:35 PM

Uttar Pradesh bypoll results 2018: I think our margin of victory will be bigger in Gorakhpur than Phulpur, will win both comfortably, says Ramgopal Yadav, SP MP

12:32 PM

Uttar Pradesh byelection results 2018: Samajwadi Party and BSP workers celebrate as SP candidates lead on both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats

12:28 PM

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar witness close contest in by-polls 2018: All you need to know

As per the current trends, both the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are witnessing a close contest between the parties for three Lok Sabha seats and two assembly seats.
 

In Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-election, the Samjawadi Party's (SP) Praveen Kumar Nishad is leading with 1,523 votes, as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Upendra Dutt Shukla closely follows second.
 

In the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat, Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel is leading by 12,231 votes with 99,557 votes, and BJP's Kaushlendra Singh Patel follows second with 87,326 votes.

 

Meanwhile, in Araria Lok Sabha by-election in Bihar, BJP's Pradip Singh is leading with 1,13,169 votes, followed by Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Sarafaraz Alam with 1,04,190.

 

In the state's assembly bypoll, the BJP is leading by 13,636 votes in Bhabua followed by the Congress with 11,108 votes, and the RJD has marked a clear lead in Jehanabad with 21,487 as JDU comes in second with 12,588 votes.

 

Stakes are high in Bihar as the by-elections are being seen as a litmus test for the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who last year broke away from the grand alliance and allied with the BJP.
 

 

The counting of votes for the bypolls held on March 11, began at 8:00 am.