NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has successfully retained the Ghaziabad assembly seat in the 2024 Uttar Pradesh by-polls, showcasing its dominance in the region once again. Sanjeev Sharma, the BJP candidate, emerged victorious against Singh Raj Jatav of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Parmanand Garg of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The win reaffirms BJP’s stronghold in a constituency often seen as a bellwether for the party’s performance in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.
In this by-election, the BJP relied on Sanjeev Sharma, a seasoned local leader with a strong grassroots connection. Singh Raj Jatav, the SP candidate, aimed to capitalize on the anti-incumbency factor and consolidate the minority and backward caste votes. Parmanand Garg of the BSP, meanwhile, sought to revive his party’s influence in the region, which has dwindled in recent years.
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Despite a closely watched triangular contest, Sharma maintained a comfortable lead throughout the counting process, buoyed by BJP’s well-oiled organizational machinery and its narrative of development and nationalism.
Ghaziabad, known for its urban voter base and proximity to Delhi, has been a BJP bastion for years. In the 2019 by-polls, the party secured a landslide victory, with then-candidate Atul Garg winning by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes. This stronghold has since been pivotal in the BJP’s strategy to consolidate urban and middle-class voters, which played a crucial role in the 2024 by-poll as well.
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The 2024 by-election was triggered after the sitting MLA’s resignation to contest the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP’s ability to retain this seat, despite challenges posed by the opposition alliance, underscores its strategic grip on key urban constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
The victory is expected to boost BJP’s morale ahead of the 2025 state assembly elections. For the opposition, the defeat highlights the challenges of uniting their vote banks against a dominant BJP in the region.
As BJP celebrates its win, the Ghaziabad result serves as a reminder of its electoral resilience in Uttar Pradesh’s urban heartlands.