33 Samajwadi party panchayat chiefs elected unopposed

Lucknow: Ruling Samajwadi Party's (SP) thirty-three candidates have been elected unopposed as 'Zila panchayat adhyakshs'.

Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother and PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav were personally monitoring the high-stake polls.

The party had cracked a whip on senior and prominent party leaders for opposing official party candidates, so much so that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav went into a sulk after three of his close associates were expelled from the party.

The places where SP candidates won unopposed include Etah, Kasganj, Lucknow, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Kanpur rural and city, and Etawah.

SP candidates also won unopposed in most places in Bundelkhand, including Jhansi, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Chitrakoot.

Senior Samajwadi Party leaders said Mulayam had taken it upon himself to ensure that there was consensus on party candidates at most places. Uttar Pradesh has assembly elections in 2017 and the warm up for the elections already has started. (IANS)