UP Civic Polls: No Winning Candidate To Hold Celebratory Rallies, Says State Poll Body

As the counting of votes for local body polls commenced, the State election commission issued a notification that the winning candidates won't be able to take out victory processions. The necessary instructions have been issued to all the concerned officials

"The counting of votes is expected to be completed by 2-3 pm today. The counting process is undergoing smoothly. No winning candidate is allowed to hold celebratory processions," Lucknow district magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar told ANI.

Moradabad Senior Superintendant of Police Hemraj Meena said, "Proper security arrangement has been done across the region. The winning candidates will be taken to their homes by the police. Paramilitary forces have also been deployed".

Earlier in the day, independent candidate Sultan Ansari won from the Abhiman Das ward in Ayodhya by 442 votes.

In Chandoli's Saiyadraja, another independent candidate Manish Kumar defeated BJP candidate by 200 votes.

Civic body polls were held in 17 municipal corporations across the state, including the recently formed Shahjahanpur municipal corporation. While the bye-elections were held in Suar and Chhanbey assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.

About 53 per cent of voters exercised their franchise, out of the total 4.32 crore who were eligible, according to Election Commission data. Seventeen mayors and 1,401 corporators will be elected once the results are out. As many as 19 corporators have been elected unopposed.

UP had voted for civic body polls in two phases -- on May 4 and May 11.

83,378 candidates who are in the fray for 14,522 posts in the local body. In the first phase, voting was held in 37 districts of 9 divisions and 10 municipal corporations. In 10 municipal corporations, voting is held in 830 wards, 9,699 polling places and 2,658 polling stations are set up in Municipal Corporations.

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