UP Civic Polls: Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad To Have Women Mayors, AAP Promises Tax Waivers. Key Points

UP Civic Polls: 17 municipal corporations chief, 199 nagar palikas (municipal councils) and 544 nagar panchayats (town councils), will be chosen for the upcoming local body elections.

Members of all 734 municipalities will be elected in the Uttar Pradesh municipal election, which is anticipated to take place later this year, however, the official notification is yet to be given. In the upcoming mayoral elections, 17 municipal corporations chief, 199 nagar palikas (municipal councils) and 544 nagar panchayats (town councils), will be chosen for the upcoming local body elections.

Here Are The Top Points

- Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, stated on Sunday that his party will participate in the upcoming elections for urban local bodies in the state after consulting with allies. "The BJP has cheated people in the name of smart city. Cities are full of filth. There is filth in the drains, and no cleaning has been done. In the absence of cleaning, dengue has been reported in cities. The traders are also feeling worried. In the urban local bodies polls, the public will teach a lesson to the BJP," the party quoted Yadav as saying in a statement issued.

- A list of cities that would have to choose their mayors from reserved categories has been made public by the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday. As these seats have been reserved for women, the people of Lucknow, Kanpur, and Ghaziabad will have to elect female mayors for the second time. 

- The urban local body (ULB) election, supposed to be the last major poll in Uttar Pradesh before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been embroiled in a caste row even before they could be conducted.

- The OBC reservation is now restricted to 27%. The state government has reserved 288 seats for women to ensure that women will have a greater share of the 760 seats. 205 positions, including women from the OBC reservation, will be made available to members of the community, with OBC candidates still receiving the same number of seats.

- Similarly, the number of key positions for SC candidates has increased from 102 to 110, while the number of key positions for ST candidates has increased from 1 to 2.

- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is yet to establish an impression in the electoral politics of Uttar Pradesh, will track down a potential chance to test its presence in the state when the civic polls are held soon. AAP has previously clarified that it will challenge every mayoral seat, civic body wards and nagar panchayats in the urban local bodies’ election in Uttar Pradesh.

- Since November, AAP has held a total of 1,000 workers' meetings in every municipal corporation and nagar panchayat in Uttar Pradesh. Seventy-seven office bearers from the AAP have been given the task of leading these meetings. The party has additionally organised “gandagi hatao, jhadu lagao” (cleanliness campaign) in all nagar panchayats across the state to feature poor sterile circumstances.

- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched its campaign for the urban local body elections in Uttar Pradesh by announcing that it would waive the water tax and reduce the house tax by half in municipalities it will win.