Facing questions over the Samajwadi Party retaining both Legislative Council seats in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary on Thursday sought to put the focus on the party’s overall performance, saying the BJP had won six seats and increased its vote share across the state.Asked about the election result, Chaudhary said the BJP’s “own result” is that it had won six seats and that the party’s vote share had increased across all seats. He added, “Amit Shah Ji will be here for the meeting tomorrow.”He said the party would conduct a detailed review of the results later.The response comes after the SP retained both the Varanasi Teachers’ and Graduates’ seats, its second consecutive victory on both seats. The result carries particular political significance as Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency and one of the BJP’s strongest political centres.Chaudhary did not, however, offer a specific explanation for the BJP’s defeat in Varanasi or identify any immediate organisational reason for the setback.


