UP MLC election results: Big win for BJP

In Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP is headed for a massive win in biennial elections for 33 seats of the State Legislative Council, The remaining three seats — Azamgarh, Varanasi, Pratapgarh — were bagged by Independent candidates. BJP's nine MLCs from eight local authorities’ constituencies have been elected unopposed. These seats are Budaun, Hardoi, Kheri, Mirzapur-Sonbhadra, Banda-Hamirpur, Aligarh, Bulandshahr and Mathura-Etah-Mainpuri. Two MLCs were elected unopposed from Mathura-Etah-Mainpuri local authorities’ constituency, while from the rest of the constituencies, one MLC each was elected unopposed.

The BJP, henceforth, emerged as the the single-largest party in the House and now enjoys a majority in both Houses of Uttar Pradesh Legislature. The ruling party broke a 40-year-old record of enjoying complete majority in the House, after Congress in 1982. Meanwhile, not even a single Samajwadi Party candidate could make it to the Upper House of UP Vidhan Sabha. The Congress and the BSP did not field any candidate in the Legislative Council elections, making it a direct fight between the BJP and the SP, the principal opposition in the state assembly. Of the 36 BJP candidates, five are former SP leaders, who joined the saffron party ahead of the Assembly polls.

The voters in this biennial election are village pradhans, members and chairmen of block development councils and zila panchayats, and corporators in urban areas. MLAs and MPs also vote. Prime Minister Narendra Modi showers praises on UP CM Yogi Adityanath and all BJP workers for the party's landslide triumph in the state's MLC polls. Taking to Twitter, Modi said the results are once again an expression of people's faith in BJP's “development model” UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the newly-elected members.