'I won because the others couldn't govern'

Congress candidate Raj Babbar, who defeated Mulayam Singh's bahu in the Firozabad by-polls, refuses to comment on his main rival; thanks voters for faith in Congress policies

Congress candidate Raj Babbar, who defeated Mulayam Singh's bahu in the Firozabad by-polls, refuses to comment on his main rival; thanks voters for faith in Congress policies

Stunning political pundits veteran filmstar Raj Babbar won the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, defeating none other than Dimple Yadav, the daughter-in-law of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. Babbar's win by a margin of 85,000 votes was made more special as it signaled the defeat of the Yadav "bahu" in the family stronghold.u00a0u00a0

Winner all the way: Raj Babbar won the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 85,000 votes

Speaking to MiD DAY from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, Babbar said he won because the earlier MPs did not perform.

"People have voted for development. Voters have seen how the previous MPs have performed. Now, they want a change. They have voted for the developmental policies of the Congress government," said Babbar.

However, even as he celebrated his stunning win, Babbar didn't forget to thank Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul. "The credit for my win goes to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and their developmental policies. They came here and campaigned for me to ensure my victory. Congress workers too worked hard," said Babbar.

Meanwhile, Babbar stayed politically correct, refusing to comment about Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party and its general secretary Amar Singh. "The masses have not voted to root them out. They have voted to make me win," Babbar said.

Babbar, a former MP from Agra who rebelled against the Samajwadi Party and joined the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections in May, secured 3,12,728 votes. While Dimple Yadav got 2,27,385 votes and the ruling Bahujan Samajwadi Party nominee SP Singh Baghel polled 2,13,571 votes.

Dimple's husband Akhilesh Yadav had won from Firozabad in the General Elections in May by a margin of 67,301 votes against Baghel. Akhilesh, who had also won from Kannauj, vacated the Firozabad seat.

Poll Toll
In the Assembly by-election of 11 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won nine, the Congress won one and one seat went to an Independent candidate. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) drew a blank. Earlier, of the 11 seats, six were held by the SP, and two each by the BSP, the BJP and the Congress.