The Uttar Pradesh civic body elections will be held from November 22.
The campaign for urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh will be kick started by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from temple town of Ayodhya tomorrow.
The civic polls, slated to be held from November 22, are being seen as a litmus test for the chief minister's popularity in the state.
Talking to news agency Press Trust of India, a senior BJP leader said, "The chief minister will start his campaign from Ayodhya on November 14. On the same day, he is likely to visit districts of Gonda and Bahraich."
The chief minister will address a rally each in all 16 poll-bound municipal corporations, he added.
This time, 652 urban local bodies, the highest number so far, are going for polls.
Ayodhya and Mathura-Vrindavan municipal corporations, constituted by Yogi Adityanath government, are going to polls for the first time. The idea behind the two separate municipal corporations was to provide better facilities to the pilgrims.
While the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation will cover the twin cities of Faizabad and Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation will look after the civic needs in the two pilgrim towns.
Mr Adityanath will be visiting Ayodhya after the
mega pre-Diwali celebrations last month, for which he was accused by the Opposition for playing the communal card.
He hit back at the criticism, saying, "This is my personal faith and how can opposition interfere in this?"
"By celebrating grand Diwali in Ayodhya, I have not started a new practice but it is an age-old tradition here to celebrate the homecoming of Lord Rama," he had said.
He also said that as the chief minister of the state, he is committed towards the development of each and every place of the state.
(With Inputs From PTI)