Ensure BJP sweeps Council polls: Yogi

The polls are meant to fill a total of 36 seats of the UP Legislative Council under 35 local authorities’ constituencies

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said BJP candidates have been elected unopposed to 25 per cent of the Uttar Pradesh legislative council (local authorities) seats.

He tasked block development council and zila panchayat members with the responsibility of ensuring a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sweep in the remaining seats, for which polling is scheduled on April 9.The polls were meant to fill a total of 36 seats of the UP Legislative Council under 35 local authorities’ constituencies.

The Council has a total of 100 seats.“Twenty-five per cent of our candidates have been elected unopposed (in the elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council). Elections are being held on 27 (out of 36) seats,” the chief minister said in a virtual interaction with block development council and zila panchayat members.

“If we win all these seats,the BJP would then have majority in both the UP assembly as well as the council,” he said.

The voters in this election are the village heads, the members and chairpersons of the block development councils and the zila panchayats, the corporators from urban areas and MLAs and MPs.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party (SP), Yogi Adityanath said, “Before the commencement of this programme, the SP tried to create hurdles. It knows that if our panchayat representatives become aware, there will be no corruption. It tried its level best to stop the programme. However,

I am thankful to the Election Commission that it has given me the opportunity to speak to you.” The chief minister said the BJP government has been working for all the sections of the society.

“It is because we never discriminated that the people helped us win a back-to-back term, a first in 37 years (in UP). In the last five years, we initiated various reforms at the kshetra panchayat, gram panchayat and zila panchayat level. Now, we need to fast-track these works,” the chief minister said.

According to the official website, the BJP has 35 MLCs, the SP has 17 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has four in the 100-member Legislative Council. The Congress, the Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the Nishad party have a member each.The Teachers’ group has two MLCs, while the Independent group (Nirdal Samooh) and independents have one MLC each. As many as 37 seats are vacant at present.

Leader of the Opposition in the council Ahmad Hassan died recently after a prolonged illness. The term of the members ended on March 7.

Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was connected virtually during the chief minister’s interaction. The other deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak and Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh were present.

The Council polls were initially to be held on March 3 and March 7.

They had to be rescheduled on the request of the political parties that had argued in favour of holding them after the assembly elections. Now, polling will be held simultaneously on April 9 for the seats and votes would be counted on April 12.

Twenty-five per cent of our candidates have been elected unopposed (in the elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council). Elections are being held on 27 (out of 36) seats YOGI ADITYANATH, UP CM