Major setback for BJP in UP Panchayat polls in Hindutva epicenters of Ayodhya, Kashi & Mathura

Ayodhya, the landmark of the temple movement, delivered a major blow to the BJP as it won only eight of 40 zila panchayat wards.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced an embarrassment as the results of Uttar Pradesh panchayat polls revealed that the Hindutva epicentres of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura have slipped from the BJP's grip at the grassroot level.Ayodhya, the landmark of the temple movement, delivered a major blow to the BJP as it won only eight of 40 zila panchayat wards. Samajwadi Party was the main winner as it secured 24 seats while BSP settled with 4 seats. Independents won the other six seats.

In Mathura, the BJP managed to secure only eight of 33 zila panchayat seats. Mayawati's BSP was the principal gainer with 13 seats while RLD, SP and independent candidates won 8,1 and 3 seats respectively. The results of other districts are yet to pour in.

Pawan Pandey, a former minister of the SP said, "This is a victory for Samajwadi Party's policies and ideologies." He added that the party has not only won 24 out of 40 seats in Ayodhya but was ahead in 90 per cent of the districts.

However, the local leaders of the BJP are sure that the president of the Zila Panchayat will be from their party. Talking about the independents, the chief of the local party unit, Avdesh Pande said that several independents who have won are of the same ideology as theirs and they are in contact with them. "For now, I can tell you that president of the Zila Panchayat will be from our party," he added.