SP claims ‘big victory’ in panchayat polls; says will win 2017

The results also showed that a large number of independents registered impressive wins in the regions which were considered to be the strongholds of the main political parties.

Usually the BSP avoids the zila panchayat elections, claiming that the local rivalries thrown up during the contest tend to hurt its prospects in subsequent assembly polls. However, the party made an exception this year.

The panchayat elections are not contested on party symbols and major parties chose not to officially announce the candidates it had endorsed. “As regards supporting any other party, it is up to the party high command to decide”.

In Rae Bareli, which Sonia Gandhi represents in the Lok Sabha, 21 of the 22 party candidates lost.

State Election Commission said that after holding the elections of the Kshetra and district panchayat members in four phases, it would now prepare for the crucial pradhan and village panchayat polls in four phases from November 27 to December 9 with counting of votes on December 12.

Mayawati will be particularly pleased at the party’s win in Agra, Ambedkar Nagar, Hathras and adjoining districts in Western Uttar Pradesh, where the party had lost out to a resurgent BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in the wake of the Muzaffarnagar riots. In contrast, 22 Samajwadi party-backed nominees were victorious. “We can now say with confidence that the party would again form government in 2017 and the fascist forces would be kept at bay”, senior SP leader and cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav told reporters here. “The SP leader also lashed out at the BSP said RsRs the panchayat elections have proved that the BSP has ceased to exist in the rural areas of the state”.

The Samajwadi Party claimed victory in the polls, saying the results were tilted in its favour. In the last elections, BJP had won 3 seats.

A BJP-supported candidate lost to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate in Jayapur village (Varanasi, Modi’s adopted village), and an SP-supported candidate lost to a BSP-supported candidate in Tamauli village (Azamgarh, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s adopted village).

Even for Samajwadi party, the results were bitter-sweet, since son of Tulsi Ram Sharma, the district President of Samajvadi Party, Kishor Singh suffered a humiliating defeat where as his wife Kamlesh Singh won. As for the Congress, it continues to languish at number four position.