E-Paper
Civic polls: BJP wins 56 of 100 wards in U.P.’s Prayagraj
The independents fared well this time too as they won more seats as compared to those won by the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates
As the results of the urban local bodies (ULB) elections-2023, held for 100 wards of the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) were declared on Saturday, there were celebrations in the wards of winning candidates.
There were several interesting winners and outcomes too. The BJP performed quite well by winning 56 seats of corporator seats. In 2017, the BJP had won only 22 seats against 24 won by the SP out of the total 80 on offer at the time.
The independents fared well this time too as they won more seats as compared to those won by the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates. In 2017, 18 independents had won whereas this year 19 independent candidates emerged victorious. The AIMIM too improved its showing as two of its candidates won this time, while in 2017 it had just one win to its name.
The BJP was defeated from the ward of cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ as the independent candidate Kusum Lata won from Mohatsim Ganj ward of the city. Earlier she was in the BJP. As per the 2017 municipal elections results wherein the Sangam city had gone for polling for 80 wards and nine nagar panchayats, 24 candidates of the Samajwadi Party (SP) had won while the BJP had to remain satisfied with 22 seats.
Even independents had performed quite well and were just four seats short of the BJP with 18 seats. Congress had won on 11, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 3 and one each was won by Shiv Sena and AIMIM.
However, the scenario five years later was entirely different as the BJP dominated the results by winning over 50% of the seats. The party not only managed to retain the wards that it had won in 2017 but won new wards too. More importantly, the BJP won around half of the 20 newly formed wards that went to poll the first time.
SP corporator candidates won 16 seats, independents bagged 19 while Congress secured four, AIMIM and BSP won two each and NISHAD party won one ward. BJP candidates emerged victorious from wards like Beniganj, Civil Lines-2, Shivkuti, Civil Lines-1, Govindpur, Malaviya Nagar, Alopibagh, Meerapur, Daraganj, Tagore Town, Preetam Nagar, Old Katra, Aliganj, Pipal Gaon and Chakka etc.
Samajwadi Party (SP), which was ahead of BJP in 2017, managed to win only 16 seats in 2023 municipal elections. SP candidates won wards like Chakia, Dariyabad, Bakshi Bazaar, Atala which are dominated by Muslim voters.
The major win of the SP was in Chakia as this locality had hogged the limelight after the killing of gangsgter-politician Atiq Ahmed and his younger brother Ashraf on April 15 night as both hailed from this very area. The BSP won Pura Manohar Das and Mahwapur wards. Many independent candidates also retained their seats from Colonelganj, Bhardwaj Puram, Ashok Nagar and Phaphamau wards.
AIMIM improved its tally from one seat in 2017 to two in 2023. Najish Parveen from GTB Nagar and Parveen Begum from Karelabagh ward won from the party.
In terms of new wards, both the BJP and the SP performed quite well. While BJP won the newly formed wards like Jahangirabad, Malwa Bujurg, Jhunsi Azad Nagar, Baswar, Harwara, Bamrauli Uprahar, Jhalwa, Andhwa, Amraspur, the SP won wards like Lavanpura, Maheva, Badri Sanauti, Katka, Kanihar, Maheva. Independent candidates too were winners in some newly formed wards, including Jhusi Khona and Naini Dadri which was won by Anil Kumar and Pooja respectively.
