“I have been completely cheated”: Independent candidate Rajiv Yadav alleges irregularities in Gorakhpur-Faizabad Graduates’ MLC count

Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 29 (ANI): Independent candidate from Gorakhpur-Faizabad Graduates' constituency Rajiv Yadav on Thursday alleged irregularities in the final round of counting for the MLC elections, claiming that votes marked in his favour had been "changed", and said he would approach the Election Commission and the court seeking an examination of the 1,612 ballots.
“I have been completely cheated. In the first three rounds of counting, 42,000 votes were counted, and I was leading by 376 votes. In the fourth round, which had only 1,612 votes, Dhruv Kumar Tripathi received 970 votes. If those ballots are examined, it will be found that the number ‘1’ marked in my favour was changed to ‘4’, while the column next to his name, which was blank, was marked ‘1’,” Yadav told ANI.
He said he would file a complaint with the Election Commission and approach the Court to seek scrutiny of the final round of counting.
“I am going to file a complaint with the Election Commission and will also approach the court, seeking an examination of the final round of counting involving 1,612 votes,” he added.
Yadav's allegations come amid the broader political contest surrounding the Uttar Pradesh MLC elections, which covered 11 seats, comprising five graduate and six teachers' constituencies.
Earlier in the day, SP MP Dimple Yadav claimed that the party had won five MLC seats, describing the outcome as a foundation for political change ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
In a post on X, Dimple Yadav said the victories of the party's five candidates reflected the strength of the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance and the trust of exploited and deprived sections of society and the youth in the SP. She also expressed confidence that the party would form a government with a full majority in the state after the 2027 Assembly elections.
The SP secured a notable victory in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, where its candidate Lal Bihari Yadav won the Teachers' seat.
The MLC elections saw the BJP and the SP contesting across the 11 constituencies. The seats included graduate constituencies in Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi, and teachers' constituencies in Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
In the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' constituency, the SP fielded Dr Sanjayan Tripathi, while Akash Agarwal contested from Agra.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented on the MLC election results across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka in a post on X on Wednesday.
“MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections were held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” PM Modi wrote. (ANI)