Elections 98

State:	Uttar Pradesh
Constituency:	Jalesar
Total Votes Polled:	681911
Winner: SP	Professor S P Singh Baghel	265505
Runner Up: BJP	Ompal Singh Nidar	262771
Margin: 2734 (1%)

Elections 96

State:	Uttar Pradesh
Constituency:	Jalesar
Total Votes Polled:	536395
Winner: BJP	Om Pal Singh Nigar	194422
Runner Up: BSP	Satyapal Singh Baghel	155047
Margin: 39375 (7.50%)

The 1996 verdict was interesting, in that it showed the decline of the Congress in the state, for in the fray was local Congress strongman, Balram Singh Yadav. The BJP retained the seat, Om Pal Singh Nigar defeating the SP's Satyapal Singh Baghel by 49,000 votes. Yadav did not fare all that badly, he managed to win 72,917 votes bagging 13.88 % of the vote, coming fourth. Interestingly, the BJP MP in 1991, Swami Sureshanand was in the fray this time too, on the Shiv Sena ticket. He was in the fifth position, behind Yadav, winning 0.76 % of the vote.