Counting of votes for UP Panchayat polls completed

Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh, counting for Panchayat elections is almost completed and a fewer results are to come. These elections were held for Jila Pnachayat and Kshetra Panchayat members in 74 districts in state last month.

The counting of votes was started Sunday morning at 819 block headquarters across the state. Counting process remained comparatively slow as the four phased Panchayat elections were held on ballot papers. This election was held for 3 thousand 112 posts of District Panchayat members and 77 thousand 576 members of Block Panchayats.

Calculations say, Of 48 seats in Varanasi, BJP-supported candidates have lost in 40, including in Jayapur, the village Prime Minister Narendra Modi had adopted as Varanasi MP. The Congress has suffered another debacle with candidates it supported losing in 28 of 36 seats in party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency, Amethi.

They have also fared poorly in the neighbouring Rae



Bareli constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. A candidate supported by Asaduddin Owaisi's Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen or MIM, has won a seat in Azamgarh, the parliamentary constituency of Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

According to state election office, early this morning, 2888 results of District Panchayat and 76660 of Block Panchayat have been declared. Eighteen candidates for District Panchayats and one thousand 9 hundred 70 for Block Panchayats have been declared elected unopposed. Though these elections are not fought on party symbols but parties back their candidates.

Political observers say Ruling Samajwadi Party and BSP performed well and it is booster for BSP. After poor show of candidates backed by BJP, the party said they will review the shortcomings. Now after these elections people are eagerly waiting for Gram Pradhan and Gram Panchayat member election for which the notification is scheduled on 7th of this month.