BJP sweeps civic polls in Gorakhpur region

The CM had campaigned vigorously in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts of the region

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the urban local body (ULB) election in Gorakhpur region considered the home turf of chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The BJP won the mayor seat of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation as well as 21 nagar panchayat chairpersons’ seats and three Nagar Palika Parishad chairpersons’ seats in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts.

The BJP bagged the lone Gorakhpur mayor seat as well as majority of corporator seats in Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation. (HT file photo)

The CM had campaigned vigorously in all the four districts in support of party candidates. He had called upon the voters to repeat the assembly election feat in the civic polls too. Out of the 28 assembly seats in the four districts, the BJP had bagged 27 in the last year’s state polls.

In the urban local body election, the BJP bagged the lone Gorakhpur mayor seat as well as majority of corporator seats in the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation. Out of the 44 nagar panchayat chairpersons’ seats in the four districts, the BJP won 21 while the SP won 5 seats, BSP 4 , Congress 1 and the independent candidates emerged winners on 13 nagar panchayat seats.

Out of the 7 nagar palika parishad chairpersons’ seats in Deoria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts, the BJP bagged 3 while the SP secured victory on 2 seats, the BSP and independent bagged one seat each. The BJP also won majority of ward seats in the nagar palika parishad and nagar panchayats.

During electioneering, CM Yogi Adityanath had called the people to support the BJP for the formation of the triple engine government- BJP at the Centre, in the state and local body for the development of the state.

“The triple-engine government slogan paid dividends in the local body election. This could be gauged from the fact that BJP not only secured victory in the urban area—municipal corporation but also in the semi urban areas—nagar palika parishad and nagar panchayats in Gorakhpur as well as in other districts. The nagar palika parishad and nagar panchayats were considered the stronghold of the SP and the BSP. But the BJP made inroad in their bastions in the civic polls,” said political observer SK Srivastava.