BJP candidate from Nighasan, where the Lakhimpur Kheri violence had taken place in October, is leading in the elections, counting of which is underway. BJP's sitting MLA Shashank Verma had polled 53,785 votes over his nearest rival RS Kushwaha of the Samajwadi Party (SP), who got 33,810 votes till 1.15 pm, according to the Election Commission.

The BJP was leading in all the eight Assembly seats in the Lakhimpur Kheri district with the SP appearing in contention only in Kasta, where the margin was less than 2,000 votes. Lakhimpur Kheri had been one of the key attack points of the opposition parties such as the SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress against the BJP in the run-up to the polls. Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in a violence that erupted in the Tikunia area of the district on October 3 last year.