ISAS Briefs

In the latest round of by-elections in three Lok Sabha ((Lower House of Parliament)) constituencies in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost in all three seats. The BJP’s loss in Gorakhpur, which was vacated by Yogi Adityanath after he was appointed the Chief Minister of UP in 2017, to the Samajwadi Party (SP) was perhaps the most significant result. One of the most important aspects of the BJP’s loss in Gorakhpur was the coming together of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the SP. If the SP and the BSP can forge an alliance for the 2019 national elections, it is likely to have a critical impact on the outcome.