UP urban local body polls: BJP edging closer to landslide win; behind only in Agra

Though the state election commission is yet to give trends or results, field reports suggest BJP is leading in 15 of the 17 nagar nigams (municipal corporations) with a comfortable margin

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to be inching towards a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) urban local bodies polls, early trends indicate as counting of the votes is currently taking place.

The counting of votes taking place at a centre in Lucknow. (HT photo)

According to these trends, Samajwadi Party (SP) is underperforming despite having an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Though the state election commission is yet to give trends or results, field reports suggest BJP is leading in 15 of the 17 nagar nigams (municipal corporations) with a comfortable margin on most seats even as the party has already won the Jhansi mayoral seat with a margin of around 80,000 votes.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is leading in Agra.

The party had won 2 (Aligarh and Meerut) of the 16 mayoral seats in 2017.

BJP had won 14 seats while the SP and the Congress won none.

This time around, there are 17 mayoral seats with Shahjhanpur being the new entrant as a municipal corporation.

The counting of votes for 760 local urban bodies (LUBs) that include 17 nagar nigams, 199 nagar palika parishads and 544 nagar panchayats started at 8am is still underway.

The results for mayors and corporators may officially be announced by today evening but final results for other LUBs where voting was done by ballot box, may be declared on Sunday only.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who extensively campaigned in the civic polls is expected to reach the party office on Saturday afternoon to lead victory celebrations there.