The two forthcoming bye-elections for Kairana and Nurpur would be a litmus test for the Bharatiya Janata party as the presitige of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would be at stack after ignominious defeat in Gorakhpur and Phulpur.

The polling for the bye-polls will be held on May 28 and result will be declared on May 31.

The bye-election in Kairana lok sabha constituency is necessitated following death of its sitting BJP MP Hukum Singh while Nurpur assembly seats got vacated after its two time BJP MlA, lokendra Singh died in a car accident on lucknow-Agra expressway while he was on way to lucknow to attend the investor’s summit on February 21.

The BJP is likely to play emotional  card in this election as it will field daughter of Hukum Dingh Mriganka Singh from Kairana lok Sabha constituency while the wife of lokendra Singh could be BJP’s candidate from the Nurpur constituency.

Mriganka had contested 2017 assembly election from Kairana constituency (an assembly seat by the same name) but lost.

“The party has not taken a call as yet. The party leadership will be meeting in Ghaziabad on Monday to approve the names. Few names are there but no name has been shortlisted so far,” BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur pathak said.

These elections will be another test of opposition unity after Gorakhpur and Phulpur where united opposition defeat BJP candidates by comfortable margin. The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party might combine again to pull rug under the feet of Chief Minister Yogi. Congress is likely to be part of this alliance because in Gorakhpur and Phulpur it had contested election separately.

Pathak said that BJP is aware of the challenges before it. “We have our strategy ready and will reveal them at the right time,” he said.