Lucknow, July 3 (TIWN) In what appears to be a fantastic political premiere for the BJP ahead of the UP Assembly election early next year, the party has registered a thumping victory by winning 65 out of 75 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Zila panchayat elections.

While BJP has won 65 seats, its ally Apna Dal has won 2 seats. On the other hand, one seat has been won by Jansatta Dal of Pratapgarh which is an ally of Congress. One seat has been won by an independent candidate from Jaunpur. Bahubali Dhananjay Singh's wife has won it.

Chairpersons of 22 Zila panchayats out of a total of 75 in Uttar Pradesh (UP) were on Tuesday declared 'elected unopposed' by the state poll panel with the BJP claiming victory in 21 seats. The Samajwadi Party said the remaining one seat in the Etawah district was bagged by its candidate.

The districts where Zila panchayat chairpersons won unopposed are Saharanpur, Bahraich, Etawah, Chitrakoot, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Moradabad, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Banda, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Mau, Varanasi, Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur.

The panchayat polls or those for district panchayat chiefs are not held on a party basis but candidates enjoy the tacit support of various parties. Zila panchayat chairpersons are elected from among the elected members of Zila panchayats of various districts.

Samajwadi Party's workers stage protest

Following the BJP'w victory at the Zila panchayat elections, Samajwadi Party workers staged protests outside various collectorate offices in different districts of Uttar Pradesh as the party is claiming that rigging of elections has taken place. On Wednesday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the ruling BJP of using fear and greed to grab the posts of chairpersons of the Zilla and kshetra panchayats. He also alleged that the BJP is using the administration in every district to register fake cases against SP candidates and threatening them, urging Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel to intervene in this regard. 

'UP has shown trust in PM Modi and CM yogi Aditynanath': Shalabh Mani Tripathi

Shalabh Mani Tripathi, Advisor to UP CM, talking exclusively to Republic TV hailed the people of Uttar Pradesh and said, "People have made it clear what lies in their heart for the those who spread chaos and corruption in UP. It is a big victory for the BJP.  This win of the Zila panchayat election is the win of the people of Uttar Pradesh. Those who have lost have nothing to say, therefore they will say many things (rigging of elction). The people of Uttar Pradesh have shown their faith in PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath. Many opposition leaders were saying that this is a semi-final, therefore the result of the semi-final is out and now the final (UP Elections) awaits."