UP assembly polls: Keshav Maurya among BJP’s shock defeats

LUCKNOW: The saffron brigade’s winning streak in UP was not without its setbacks, with some of its tallest leaders biting the dust on Thursday. The biggest upset was the shock defeat of deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu, where he lost to Apna Dal (K) candidate Pallavi Patel by 7,000 votes.Another minister, fourtime MLA from Patti Rajendra Pratap Singh, lost to SP’s Ram Singh Patel. Other ministers who were beaten include Upendra Tiwari from Phephana, Anumpa Jaiswal from Bahraich Sadar, and Satish Chandra Dwivedi from Itwa. Tiwari had won in triangular fights 2012 and 2017, but in a near bipolar battle this time, lost to SP’s Sangram Yadav. Results of Fazilnagar, where Swami Prasad Maurya is contesting, were delayed, but he was trailing by over 40,000 votes. Ministers Suresh Rana and Anand Swarup Shukla were also trailing.