Gorakhpur MLC Results: Dhruv Tripathi Secures Narrow Victory
BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi retained the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers’ constituency in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections, defeating independent challenger Rajeev Yadav by a narrow margin of over 300 votes.
The Gorakhpur MLC results followed several changes in the counting trends and a prolonged exercise lasting more than 35 hours. The contest drew attention because Gorakhpur is Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s home turf and a key BJP stronghold in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Tripathi, who entered the election as a three-term MLC, secured victory after second-preference votes were counted. At the end of first-preference counting, he had received 11,881 votes, followed by Yadav with 11,415. Samajwadi Party candidate Dr Sanjayan Tripathi stood third with 8,301 votes.
Yadav maintained a narrow advantage during the opening two rounds and extended his lead to more than 370 votes after the third. However, Tripathi moved ahead in the fourth and final round of first-preference counting before eventually winning the seat.
SP And Rajeev Yadav Allege Counting Irregularities
The Samajwadi Party and Yadav questioned the counting process and boycotted proceedings, alleging irregularities. SP acting district president Brijesh Gautam alleged that the Returning Officer refused to provide candidates with round-wise counting charts. He said the absence of these details raised concerns about transparency.
Sanjayan Tripathi questioned the abrupt change in counting trends after the first three rounds. He alleged that the outcome appeared predetermined and cited this concern as the reason for the party’s boycott.
Yadav also alleged foul play and questioned whether the counting exercise was being conducted fairly. These accusations remain allegations by the party and candidates. The original article does not include a response from the Returning Officer or election observer addressing them.
SP Candidate Change Draws Scrutiny After Defeat
The contest also brought attention to the Samajwadi Party’s decision to replace its original candidate shortly before the election. The party had initially nominated Kamlesh Yadav but selected Sanjayan Tripathi, who had previously been associated with the BJP, on October 3.
Kamlesh Yadav’s supporters said he had spent years building support among teachers and travelled across 17 districts to mobilise voters. They claimed he had backing among secondary education and madrasa board voters, CBSE teachers and members of the Yadav community. The candidate switch became a point of discussion after the defeat, although the available information does not establish how much it influenced the outcome.
The BJP had won six of the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats contested, while the Samajwadi Party had secured four. The SP’s wins included the Varanasi Teachers’ constituency, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.
Although MLC elections are not a direct measure of the wider electorate’s preferences, the close contest in Gorakhpur has attracted political attention ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
