Kairana bypoll result updates: United opposition gets another booster against BJP

After recent shocking bypoll defeats in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, BJP lost another high-profile poll battle in Kairana against the united opposition RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan.

Rashtriya Lok Dal's (RLD) Tabassum Hasan was supported by the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Kairana bypoll was seen as a test ground for the newly-found opposition unity against the rising BJP and the win may give a big boost to the opposition's efforts to stitch a grand alliance against BJP for the next year Lok Sabha elections.

Catch all the live updates here:


* RLD's Tabassum Hasan defeats BJP's Mriganka Singh by over 55,000 votes

* RLD's Tabassum Hasan leading by over 26,925 votes over BJP's Mriganka Singh after ninth round

* "This is the victory of truth. There has been a conspiracy and we do not want any future elections to be conducted on EVM machines. The path for united opposition is clear in 2019," RLD's Tabassum Hasan said.

* After eighth round, RLD's lead surges to 19,900 votes

* RLD's Tabassum Hasan increases lead to 16,000 votes against BJP's Mriganka Singh

* RLD candidate takes a lead of over 14,000 votes

* A total of 39,589 votes have been counted so far. RLD has got 20,898 , while BJP received 17,724 votes

* RLD leading by nearly 3,000 votes after third round of counting

* After second round of counting, RLD candidate takes lead of over 4,000 votes against BJP

* After first round of counting, RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan has received 3,700 votes and BJP's Mriganka Singh has received 3746 votes

* Kairana witnessing a close fight between BJP and RLD. Now BJP's Mringanka Singh takes lead over RLD

* Early trends show RLD leads in Kairana

* Opposition hopes that by consolidating the anti-BJP vote it will repeat its success in Gorakhpur and Phulpur bye-elections earlier this year when the ruling party suffered humiliating defeats.

* BJP hopes to send a strong message to voters, party workers as well as the opposition parties that the drubbing in Gorakhpur and Phulpur bye-elections was an aberration.

* Kairana election is the fourth Lok Sabha bye-election in the state since 2014.