UP civic election results 2017 Live Updates: BJP leads in Ayodhya-Faizabad, Kanpur

UP Nagar Nigam results 2017: Counting of votes is underway in litmus test for BJP government

Counting in the crucial three-phase Uttar Pradesh municipal elections, which began early morning, has crossed the halfway mark. Trends so far show BJP surging ahead in most municipal bodies with huge leads in Ayodhya-Faizabad and Kanpur. The election will also serve as a litmus test for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s nine-month government. Moreover, with elections underway in the state of Gujarat, the ruling BJP will be looking for a sweep to reiterate what it claims is an unwavering support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CM Adityanath has himself campaigned across 16 local bodies.

The elections was conducted in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29 and the voter turnout was around 52.4 per cent. Over 3.36 crore voters exercised their rights at 36,269 polling booths in the state to decide the fate of 79,113 candidates.

Lucknow civic poll results 2017: Counting underway, city to get first woman mayor

Uttar Pradesh nagar nigam polls 2017 Live Updates:

12:59 pm: In Varanasi and Firozabad, BJP mayor candidates are leading.

11:48 am: In Amethi, SP leading at Gauriganj, BJP at Jais, according to reports

11:40 am: At least four people were injured after police lathicharged a crowd outside a counting centre in Muzaffarnagar, ANI reported

11:35 am: In Mathura’s ward number 56 BJP candidate Meera Agarwal wins in a lucky draw. Both BJP and Congress got 874 votes

11:25 am: In Varanasi, BJP is leading with 16,196 votes after five rounds of counting.

11:18 am: BSP nominee Sunita Verma leading in Meerut mayor seat while BJP nominee Kanta Kardam at second position. BJP state genera secretary and in charge for Meerut local body polls Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that BJP is still in fight and wait for final result.

11:15 am: In Mathura’s ward number 56, BJP and Congress both get 874 votes. Winner will now be decided with a lucky draw, ANI reported.

11:05 am: BJP Mayor candidate Sanyukta Bhatia leads in Lucknow, SP is in second position, according to reports.

10:58 am: BJP Mayor candidate is leading in Kanpur.Congress is in the second position.

10:55  am: In Saharanpur, BSP nominee for mayor Fazalur Rehman leading by margin of 3000 votes after six rounds of counting. BJP nominee Sanjeev Walia is at second position.

10:50 am: Subramanian Swamy tweeted, “UP local bodies elections BJP rides the Ram Mandir wave. Wait for the typhoon in 2019”

UP local bodies elections BJP rides the Ram Mandir wave. Wait for the typhoon in 2019

— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) December 1, 2017

10:45 am: BJP UP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey told ANI, “Congress, other parties were giving internal support to each other, We fought alone & we are now leading with a good number in early trends.”

10:40 am: In Meerut, BSP Mayor candidate is leading and Congress is leading in Mathura, ANI reported.

10:35 am: In newly formed Ayodhya Nagar Nigam, BJP nominee Rishikesh Upadhyay is leading.

10.30 am: In Varanasi, BJP mayor nominee Mridula Jaiswal is leading after three rounds of counting. Samajwadi Party nominee Sadhna Gupta is currently at second position.

Kanpur civic poll results 2017: BJP in the lead with Congress in tow

10.20 am: In Lucknow, BJP candidate Sayunkta Bhatiya leading on mayor seat by margin of 5455 votes. Samajwadi Party nominee Meera Vardhan at second position. This, in the first round of counting.

10.13 am: In newly formed Ayodhya Nagar Nigam, from where Adityanath started poll campaign, BJP nominee Rishikesh Upadhyay is leading.

10.05 am: The BSP seems to be taking lead in Meerut. Its Mayor candidate is now leading there while the Congress is leading in Mathura

9.55 am: In Firozabad, according to reports, the BSP has taken a lead of over 5,000 votes. BJP is at no 2 with about 1500 votes.

9.50 am: Unlike in the Assembly elections where the SP and Congress entered into an alliance, in the civic polls, the SP, BSP and Congress are contesting on their own. Interestingly, neither BSP chief Mayawati nor SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stepped out to campaign for their candidates.

9.45 am: In the first two hours of counting, the BJP is leading in seven of the 16 municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh. The party is hoping for a clean sweep, much like the assembly elections conducted earlier this year. It will also give the party a boost in Gujarat, where it is facing a touch challenge from the Congress.

9:20 am:  In Moradabad, BJP’s mayoral candidate is leading by 1000 votes, reports. BSP is currently second, SP third and Congress fourth. The BJP is also leading in Pilibhit.

9:10 am: BJP mayoral candidates are also leading in Meerut, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Gorakhpur, according to initial trends that have been reported.

8:55 am: In Lucknow, BJP’s mayoral candidate, Sanyukta Bhatia, told news agency ANI “I don’t consider anyone my competitor. I will be number one, no matter who is second or third.”

In the last municipal elections, 2012, the BJP had won by a landslide, bagging 10 out of 12 mayoral positions. The current Deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Dinesh Sharma was elected as the Lucknow mayor. This time, however, the city will get a woman mayor as the Lucknow mayoral seat has been reserved for women.