Lucknow, Oct 27 (IANS) As counting for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections got underway on Tuesday, state Minister Anil Rajbhar expressed confidence that the BJP would win all 11 seats by a huge margin.
Speaking to IANS, Rajbhar said the initial trends were in favour of BJP candidates and asserted that the party had received strong support from voters across the constituencies.
“Counting has begun, and the initial trends are in favour of BJP candidates. There is no doubt that the BJP is set to win all seats by a huge margin. We have been continuously present in the constituencies and have witnessed the support and blessings voters have extended to our candidates. I can say with confidence that there is no uncertainty or doubt. The BJP is going to win all the seats,” he said.
The results of the Legislative Council elections are being closely watched as a significant political test ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, likely to be held in February or March next year.
Polling for the 11 seats was conducted on October 23, recording a voter turnout of 55.24 per cent.
Of the 11 seats, five are graduates’ constituencies in Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Varanasi and Allahabad-Jhansi. The remaining six are teachers’ constituencies in Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Varanasi, Gorakhpur-Faizabad and Bareilly-Moradabad.
Friday’s polling witnessed incidents of violence in Gorakhpur, where workers of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) clashed while accusing each other of attempting to influence the polling process.
Meanwhile, repolling was recommended at three booths in Agra following allegations of irregularities.
The BJP currently has six of the 11 outgoing members, while the SP has three. The remaining two members are Independents. The ruling party is aiming to win all 11 seats, citing the work undertaken by the Narendra Modi-led Central government and the Yogi Adityanath-led state government.
The elections are being held ahead of the expiry of the sitting members’ terms on December 6.
The SP has also fielded three incumbent members — Ashutosh Sinha, Dr Man Singh Yadav and Lal Bihari Yadav for another term.
For the SP, the elections present an opportunity to strengthen its position in the state and challenge the ruling BJP ahead of the Assembly polls. A strong performance could boost the party’s morale, while an unfavourable outcome would pose a setback to its political ambitions.
–IANS
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