VARANASI, Oct. 30 -- The Samajwadi Party (SP) has secured a significant victory in the Varanasi Graduate legislative constituency, with candidate Ashutosh Sinha defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival Kedarnath Singh by a margin of 19,932 votes. With this win, Sinha successfully retains the seat he held in the previous term.

Election officials confirmed that Sinha secured 55,046 votes, while the BJP's Kedarnath Singh garnered 35,114 votes.

The counting process, which spanned 24 rounds, saw Sinha's lead consistently widen. By the conclusion of the 23rd round, Sinha had already established a commanding lead with 53,573 votes to Singh's 35,114. In the final round of counting, Sinha added to his tally, while Singh's total remained stat...