The victory of the loser

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is his own master, and the Ghosi byelection is a demonstration

The result of the Ghosi Assembly byelection earlier this month had the INDIA alliance smirking in triumph. The seat was won by the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, Sudhakar Singh, a Thakur. The byelection was caused by the resignation of the sitting MLA, Dara Singh Chauhan, an OBC (Other Backward Classes) leader who quit the SP and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting as its candidate after being endorsed by New Delhi. Most analysts felt voters had punished Mr Chauhan, a habitual party-hopper who had been dealt his just deserts.

But Sudhakar Singh got by with a little help — from