BusinessToday.in Last Updated: December 1, 2017 | 10:54 IST
The counting for the Uttar Pradesh civic polls 2017 has begun and early tends show that the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party is leading in 13 of 16 corporations seats. The saffron party is leading in Meerut, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Gorakhpur. While early trends show the BJP winning the state civic polls, the final results are expected by the evening. Final results will be communicated to the candidates through SMS on their registered mobile numbers. As many as 79,113 candidates are in fray.
BJP mayor candidates in Varanasi and Lucknow are leading. At both the seats Samajwadi Party candidates are at second place. The BJP is also leading in newly formed Ayodhya Nagar Nigam.
This election is important for the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath as he undertook a whirlwind campaign, unprecedented for a chief minister, during civic polls. Opposition SP, BSP and Congress campaigns were on comparatively low key. Both SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati did not campaign for their candidates.
The elections were conducted in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29. Polling was held for 16 Nagar Nigams, 198 Nagar Palika Parishads and 438 Nagar Panchayats with an average turnout of all the three phases estimated at 52.5 per cent of the 3.32 crore voters. The overall percentage recorded an improvement from 46.2 per cent in 2012 to 52.5 per cent this time.
