As Congress crosses majority mark in Karnataka, BJP has some reason to cheer in UP. Here’s why

In contrast to the results of the Karnataka Assembly elections on Saturday, the results of the Uttar Pradesh urban local body elections are not thrilling enough. The BJP is expected to easily win as it has in previous state elections, particularly since the Modi wave swept the nation in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The party encounters no challenges and keeps the fort secure by solidifying triumphs. Let’s take a look. Also read: Karnataka Election Results 2023 LIVE: Congress crosses halfway mark in early trends UP urban civic polls counting begins The BJP is expected to win at least 10 municipal corporations, according to a News18 exit poll forecast, while Akhilesh Yadav’s SP and Mayawati’s BSP are expected to win at least one nagar nigam each. Trends from 76 municipalities reveal that the BJP is in the lead in 40 seats, followed by the SP in 14, the BSP in 12, the Congress in four, and others in six. BJP is leading from seats in – Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Agra, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Firozabad, Prayagraj, Ayodhya , Shahjahanpur, Meerut, Bareilly, Mathura, Agra and Jhansi municipal corporations. The BJP has once more assumed control of the race for mayor of Kanpur. The second number is the candidate for Congress. Rajat Bajpai, a candidate for the Samajwadi Party, is the first corporator to win in Kanpur. Bajpai prevailed from ward 76 by roughly 50 votes, reported News18. Early trends indicate that Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM is making progress in Meerut, as per Dainik Bhaskar. As the counting of votes is underway in both Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “BJP will get the blessings of the public as expected in the UP municipal and Karnataka assembly elections." Also read: Karnataka Assembly Election Results 2023: Who is leading, who is trailing? The voting Elections for the Uttar Pradesh Nagar Nikay Chunav were held on 4 May and 11 May. The outcomes will determine the fate of the 83,378 contestants vying for 14,522 positions. 1 401 corporators and seventeen mayors will be elected after the results. 19 corporators have already been elected without a challenge. Since Shahjahanpur became a municipal corporation in 2018, a year after the final civic elections in Uttar Pradesh, this year will mark the city’s first-ever mayor election. In 2017, the BSP had mayors in Meerut and Aligarh, while the BJP controlled the other civic organisations. The ULB polls will also elect 198 chairpersons and 5,260 members of nagar palika parishads. For Nagar panchayats, the fate of 542 chairpersons and 7,104 members will be decided. According to Election Commission data, over 53 per cent of voters exercised their franchise, out of the total 4.32 crore who were eligible. Also read: Karnataka Assembly Election Results 2023: High-stakes contests in these seats are a must watch The election campaigning 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. The election saw Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading the party’s campaign with around 50 rallies in 13 cities. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was a distant second in the campaign blitzkrieg. Among other key opposition leaders, BSP chief Mayawati did not hold a single rally, while there were no visits to the state by Congress general secretary in charge for UP Priyanka Gandhi who chose to focus on Karnataka. The BJP’s pitch has been the good governance model of the Yogi Adityanath government, with its pitch on law and order, hoping the CM’s “mitti mein mila denge” warning for gangsters made on the floor of the Assembly resonated with the voters. The saffron party has also been helped by a fractured opposition. The Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress all contested the elections. With the BSP giving strong representation to Muslim candidates in ticket distribution, the SP may suffer a split in its vote base. Also read: Yogi's popularity, Bharat Jodo Yatra: How 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be toughest for Samajwadi Party UP by-polls The by-polls were held in the Suar assembly seat in Rampur district and Chhanbey (SC) in Mirzapur district on 10 May. The Suar seat fell vacant in February following the disqualification of SP leader Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam Khan as an MLA after a Moradabad court sentenced him to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case, reported News18. The Chhanbey seat fell vacant after the death of Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol in February. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.