Overview

• The Mau Sadar Assembly seat became vacant on June 1 when Abbas Ansari was disqualified following a two-year prison sentence for hate speech under the Representation of the People Act.
• Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, which won Mau Sadar in 2022 under the SP-led alliance, has since joined the BJP-led UP government and now aims to recapture the constituency.
• Rajbhar has met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and is in talks with National Democratic Alliance leaders to secure SBSP’s by-election ticket.
• The party plans to pursue legal avenues to protect its election symbol and candidacy if challenged in court.
• Alongside the by-election bid, Rajbhar is campaigning for direct polls for local body heads and will host a June 10 Shaurya Mela in Bahraich to revive regional heritage.