LUCKNOW: Taking it as an issue of prestige to have a majority in both houses of the state legislature, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after creating history by returning to power in UP for a second consecutive term, is making an all-out effort to sweep the upcoming council polls scheduled for April 9. The results will be declared on April 12.
In fact, 36 council seats were up for election but the ruling party has already won nine of them unanimously. Voting for the remaining 27 seats will take place on Saturday.
At present, in the UP Legislative Council of 100 members, the BJP has 35 members, the main opposition Samajwadi Party has 17, BSP 4, Congress one and the BJP allies Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party have one member each. Moreover, two members belong to the teachers’ group (non-political) and two are Independent. Thus in the upper house of state legislature, 37 positions are vacant, but the election will be held for 36 seats, where elected representatives of local bodies will cast their votes. The remaining one seat is lying vacant due to the demise of SP MLC and leader of opposition Ahmad Hassan after a prolonged illness during the Assembly polls.
The BJP, which is said to be always in poll mode, is leaving no stone unturned to win all the seats of the Council. In order to shore up the prospects of the party, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been convening virtual meetings with the party’s elected representatives. Last week, he had convened a meeting in the presence of his deputies and Cabinet Ministers for the Urban Development and Panchayati Raj departments.
As per highly-placed party sources, the newly-appointed ministers, MLAs and party MPs have been asked to reach out to the voters to ensure an impressive victory for the party in the council polls as well. Even the party’s organisational secretary, Sunil Bansal and his team are keeping a close eye on the day-to-day preparations for the council polls.
In the meeting which was convened by CM Yogi, around 32,000 people were virtually connected. The CM appealed to MLAs, Zila Panchayat members, Block Development Council members, mayors, Nagar Palika chairpersons, village pradhans, corporators and even the MPs to work for the victory of the party’s council poll candidates.
To attain a majority in the council, any party needs to have at least 51 candidates. The ruling BJP is short of a majority by seven members which it is sure to get in the upcoming elections.
Though the ruling party may not find it difficult to gain a majority in the upper house, a clean sweep will consolidate its political position further in the state legislature after a convincing win in the Assembly polls. A BJP leader explained by saying that in 2017, when the BJP had formed the government in the state, the SP had over 60 seats in the council. “If the BJP gets a majority in both Houses of the state, it will be easier for it to get important bills and proposals passed and cement its position as a more formidable political force psychologically also in the state.”
According to party sources, the BJP leadership has directed its district units to contact voters as there is not enough time and the candidate may not be able to contact each and everyone personally.
BJP is keeping its hopes of winning a majority in the council alive because 67 of the 75 Zila Panchayat chairmen, over 600 of the total 825 block heads, and 14 of the 17 mayors are supported by the party.
In the present composition of the UP council, 10 members are nominated by the state Governor, 38 by the UP MLAs, 36 by elected local bodies, eight by the teachers constituency and the remaining eight by the graduate constituency.
In the council elections, only the SP has emerged as the main rival of the BJP as the BSP has decided to keep itself away from the contest.