Counting Of Votes For ULB Polls And Assembly Bypolls In UP Set To Begin On Saturday

The stage has been set for the counting of votes cast during the two phases of the urban local body (ULB) polls and the by-election to two assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. According to officials, most preparations are complete, and the counting will start at 8 am on Saturday. The State Election Commission said that 353 counting centres have been set up, and arrangements have been made to provide cold water and 'sharbat' at the counting centres due to rising heat.

The ULB polls were held in two phases on May 4 and May 11, with about 53% of eligible voters casting their votes, according to Election Commission data. 17 mayors and 1,401 corporators will be elected after the results are declared on Saturday, and 198 chairpersons and 5,260 members of nagar palika parishads will also be elected. For nagar panchayats, the fate of 542 chairpersons and 7,104 members will be decided. There were 83,378 candidates in the fray for 14,522 posts, according to the EC.

The bypolls were held in Suar assembly seat in Rampur district and Chhanbey (SC) in Mirzapur district on May 10, with both seats witnessing a direct contest between the ruling coalition led by the BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party. The ULB polls will give a chance to elect 17 mayors, and whoever wins the majority of seats will try to showcase their strength before the crucial 2024 general election, as UP sends the maximum 80 MPs to Lok Sabha.

During the campaign, senior leaders of various political parties visited different parts of the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak campaigned extensively for the BJP candidates. State BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and former Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma also held election meetings for party candidates. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav held roadshows, while Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav campaigned for party candidates.

The parties and their candidates now await the results, and while the BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai predicts the party will win all 17 mayor seats and a lion's share in the corporators' category, the SP spokesperson Deepak Ranjan believes the ULB polls "will spring up a surprise." UP Congress media convenor Ashok Singh too said the party's performance in the election will surprise everyone. Aam Aadmi Party leader Shekhar Dixit said the people have "blessed us in the civic polls, and the results will prove this," and Rajesh Srivastava, spokesperson of the UP unit of the Apna Dal (Sonelal), exuded confidence that "both the candidates of the party will register emphatic wins in the assembly by-elections."

Uttar Pradesh. The counting will begin at 8 am on Saturday across 353 counting centers. The State Election Commission has instructed to provide cold water and 'sharbat' to staff and volunteers at the counting centers, given the rising heat in the region.

The by-elections were held in Suar and Chhanbey assembly seats on May 10, with a direct contest between the ruling coalition led by the BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party. Suar seat fell vacant in February after the disqualification of SP leader Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam Khan as an MLA, while Chhanbey seat fell vacant after the death of Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol. The ULB polls were conducted in two phases on May 4 and May 11, and around 53% of eligible voters cast their ballots.

After the results are declared on Saturday, 17 mayors and 1,401 corporators will be elected, along with 198 chairpersons and 5,260 members of nagar palika parishads, and 542 chairpersons and 7,104 members of nagar panchayats. There were 83,378 candidates in the fray for 14,522 posts, according to the Election Commission data.

The BJP spokesperson, Hero Bajpai, predicted that the party would win all 17 mayor seats, a lion's share in the corporators' category, and perform well in the nagar palika parishads and nagar panchayats. However, the spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, Deepak Ranjan, claimed that the ULB polls "will spring up a surprise" and that the party's election symbol, the cycle, had covered a significant distance during the campaign.

Congress media convenor Ashok Singh also said that the party's performance would surprise everyone. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Shekhar Dixit believed that people have understood that AAP is the "only alternative" to the BJP.

Whoever wins the majority of seats in the ULB polls will try to showcase their strength before the crucial 2024 general election as Uttar Pradesh sends the maximum 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The parties and their candidates are now anxiously waiting for the results.

(With PTI Inputs)