BJP Clinches Victory in UP Zila Panchayat Polls, Bags 65 Seats Out of 75; SP Gets Only 6

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday registered a massive victory in zila panchayat chairman posts elections by winning 65 seats out of a total of 75. While, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has managed to get just six seats and others won only four. The polling on 53 seats began at 11 am on Saturday and continued till 3 pm and the counting of votes began right after that, the State Election Commission said.

Chairpersons of 22 zila panchayats in 22 districts of Uttar Pradesh were declared elected unopposed on Tuesday. Of these, the BJP won 21 seats, while the Samajwadi Party grabbed one seat in Etawah. The poll panel did not announce the party affiliation of the winning candidates but the BJP later claimed victory over 21 seats and the SP over one seat of the Etawah district.

Ahead of crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next year, this election was seen as a litmus test for political parties to see the ground reality among the voters. In most of the seats in today’s district panchayat president elections, the main contesting parties were the BJP and SP.

After the BJP’s victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and party workers for their efforts for the welfare of the state.

Adityanath also extended wishes to candidates for a “historic victory” and asserted that it was an outcome of the welfare policies of the Prime Minister.

In a tweet in hindi, the chief minister said, “The historic victory of the BJP in the election to the posts of zila panchayat chairpersons in Uttar Pradesh is the result of the public welfare policies of the respected prime minister. “This is the manifestation of public confidence in the good governance that has been established in Uttar Pradesh. Thanks to all the people of the state and a hearty congratulations for the victory,” he said.

In another tweet, Adityanath congratulated the victorious candidates. “Hearty congratulations to all the winning candidates for the post of zila panchayat chairpersons in the three-tier panchayat elections. This victory of yours will give more strength to the panchayati raj system in India. Best wishes to all of you for a bright tenure,” he said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated the Chief Minister, other party leaders and workers for the achievement.

However, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav has accused Adityanath-led government of using bureaucratic power to threaten and intimidation the opponents in the polls.

On Monday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati had said that the party has decided not to contest in the zila panchayat chairman polls as it wants to use its efforts on strengthening the party ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

The panchayat polls or those for district panchayat chiefs are not held on a party basis but candidates enjoy the tacit support of various parties. The districts where zila panchayat chairpersons won unopposed are Saharanpur, Bahraich, Etawah, Chitrakoot, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Moradabad, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Banda, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Mau, Varanasi, Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur.

Zila panchayat chairpersons are elected from among the elected members of zila panchayats of various districts. The four-phase panchayat polls concluded in the state last month.

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