Relegated to No 3, but BJP Bags many Zilla Panchayat chief posts ‘Unopposed’

Relegated to No 3, but BJP Bags many Zilla Panchayat chief posts ‘Unopposed’

Rashmi SharmaUpdated: Wednesday, June 30, 2021, 01:52 AM IST
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Poonam Maurya, who has been elected unopposed to the post of District Panchayat President of Varanasi, poses for a photo in Varanasi. | PTI

Lucknow

Numbers does not matter always.

Despite being relegated to the third spot in the recently held panchayat election of Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP has managed to get its 21 Zila Panchayat chiefs elected unopposed. The opposition parties have blamed BJP of misusing power. Samajwadi Party has allleged in several districts its candidates were not allowed to file nominations while those who managed to make it, are now being threatened by the administration and BJP leaders. Rashtriya Lok Dal an ally of Samajwadi Party in the panchayat polls alleged its candidate in Bagpat was in Rajasthan but her nomination was withdrawn by producing a fake person.

The elections for the post of Zila Panchayat chairpersons in 75 districts are going on in UP. Tuesday was the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. The BJP has already managed to get its 17 candidates elected unopposed. On Tuesday, the opposition candidates in four more districts have withdrawn nominations paving way for unopposed election of BJP nominees.

Notably, nominations for the post of Zila Panchayat chiefs in UP were filed last week on Saturday. In Jhansi, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Balrampur, Shravasti, Moradabad, Bulandshahar, Bijnore, Mau, Lalitpur, Bhadohi and Agra districts, the BJP candidates were elected unopposed as none other filed nomination. However, on Tuesday, the last date of nomination withdrawal, Samajwadi Party candidates in Behraich, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Bagpat decided to opt out. So far only one Samajwadi Party candidate Anshul Yadav has been elected unopposed in Etawah district against 21 of BJP.

Maximum number of zila panchayat members elected were from either Samajwadi Party of independent and BJP was placed third in terms of numbers. However even after the humiliating defeat, the state BJP leaders had claimed in maximum districts its candidates would be elected as chairperson of zila panchayat. The Bahujan Samaj Party had decided not field its candidate for the post of Zila Panchayat chair accusing the ruling party of not conducting free and fair elections.

UP POLLS: RSS TOP BRASS TO MEET IN CHITRAKOOT

The top brass of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be assembling in Chitrakoot town for a 5-day conclave of the annual "Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak" from July 9 to 13, with a focus on the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections early next year.

Though the RSS always denies its role in the political activities, the thrust of the annual meeting is to prepare a roadmap for UP and other poll-bound states and decide how it can help in improving the image of the Yogi Adityanath government hit by the charge of Covid mismanagement.

IMPORTANCE OF

CHITRAKOOT

Chitrakoot town is a famous pilgrimage centre in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh on the borders of Uttar Pradesh, with how of the town falling in Uttar Pradesh where it has been declared a separate district. Lord Ram had reportedly spent 11 of his 14 years of exile here with Sita and Lakshman.

RSS MONITORING

SITUATION

Sources say the RSS is actively monitoring the situation in the poll-bound UP to set things right in coordination with the BJP after the latter's leadership decided not to change the chief minister despite his negative vibes and project him (Yogi Adityanath) alone as its chief ministerial face, though he is facing stiff resistance from within the state unit. The decision to go with him as the party's face in the election after consultations between the top RSS and BJP leaders.

RSS Sarkaryawah (general secretary) Dattatreya Hosabale(66) made two trips to Lucknow to assess the political situation in Uttar Pradesh. Based on his reports, RSS chief (Sarsanghchalak) Mohan Bhagwat gave his nod for continuing Yogi in the post. Hosabale has his own contacts among the RSS pracharaks in Uttar Pradesh since he was in-charge of the state as a joint general secretary before becoming the general secretary last March.

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