UP Bypoll results: BJP wins Gangoh with slight margin, Congress accuses BJP of malpractice

The Congress is up in arms over its candidate Noman Masood being declared defeated in the last round in the bypoll to the Gangoh Assembly constituency.

UP Congress leaders sat on dharna at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Lucknow to protest against this 'malpractice'.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday accused the BJP of trying to subvert the people's verdict by putting pressure on the district magistrate to reduce the lead of her party's candidate in the Gangoh bypoll in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP is insulting democracy with one of its ministers telephoning the district magistrate again and again to reduce the Congress candidate's margin, Priyanka Gandhi alleged.

"The BJP is full of arrogance that it is trying to change the decision of the people by reducing the Congress candidate's margin at the counting centre in Gangoh. A BJP minister in Uttar Pradesh has called the DM five times to direct him to reduce the lead. This is an insult to democracy," she tweeted.

"The Uttar Pradesh Congress will fight this out strongly. The Election Commission should hold a thorough impartial inquiry into the incident," Gandhi said.

Noman Masood had been leading the vote count since morning, but as the last round neared, he, his agents and media persons were asked to leave the counting area.

Later, the Returning Officer declared BJP's Keerat Singh elected.

Bypolls are being held in 11 assembly seats in the state.

With agency inputs