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he opposition today wrested Kairana from the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh, where the parliamentary by-poll became a massive battle for pride in an election year leading up to the 2019 national polls.
Tabassum Hasan, the Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate, won against her BJP rival Mriganka Singh.
Hasan, a former lawmaker, was supported by the Congress and Samajwadi Party; she also claimed the support of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.
The bypoll was pitched as another test of opposition unity against the BJP after the Samajwadi Party and BSP pooled their resources to defeat the ruling party in its strongholds Gorakhpur and Phulpur in March.
The opposition hopes to evolve a successful template for joining forces to take on the BJP in state elections later this year and the 2019 national polls.
By-polls were held in Kairana because of the death of Mriganka Singh's father, BJP parliamentarian Hukum Singh, in February.