Khatauli bypoll | Stakes high for BJP, RLD, Samajwadi Party

The bypoll has been necessitated due to disqualification of BJP legislator Vikram Singh Saini after his conviction and sentence of a two-year of imprisonment by a district court in a 2013 riots case.

Khatauli, a dusty town that was a hotbed of the 2013 Muzaffaragar riots in western Uttar Pradesh, is witnessing a keen battle in the bypoll, a psychological war ahead of the 2024 general election.

The BJP is trying to retain its seat, around 25KM south of Muzaffarnagar town, while the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance is working hard to upset the apple cart of the ruling party.

Also read | The riot route

With the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) keeping away, the December 5 by-election in Khatauli is seeing a direct fight between the BJP and the SP-RLD.

The bypoll has been necessitated due to disqualification of BJP legislator Vikram Singh Saini after his conviction and sentence of a two-year of imprisonment by a district court in a 2013 riots case.

RLD candidate Madan Bhaiya, a four-term MLA, had won his last election almost 15 years ago, followed by three consecutive defeats in Assembly polls in 2012, 2017 and 2022 from Loni in Ghaziabad.

With the BSP abstaining from the bypoll, the SP-RLD alliance made an understanding with Dalit politician Chandra Shekhar Aazad, who heads Azad Samaj Party. Azad has extended his support for the alliance candidate and is actively campaigning for him.