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BJP Loses In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi Constituency In Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Polls

BJP Faces Setback In UP Panchayat Polls, Loses In PM Modi's Varanasi Constituency
Supporters of Indiaâs main opposition and Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi attend a political rally in Robertsganj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, May 10, 2014. During his campaign, Modi has not played up his party's Hindu agenda, but experts say his decision to run from the nearby holy city of Varanasi is meant to send a clear message to all voters about his commitment to the BJP's brand of religious nationalism, which emphasizes India's Hindu identity. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
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Supporters of Indiaâs main opposition and Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi attend a political rally in Robertsganj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, May 10, 2014. During his campaign, Modi has not played up his party's Hindu agenda, but experts say his decision to run from the nearby holy city of Varanasi is meant to send a clear message to all voters about his commitment to the BJP's brand of religious nationalism, which emphasizes India's Hindu identity. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which swept Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has received a huge blow in the panchayat elections, initial trends from the counting process showed on Monday.

According to reports, BJP has lost 50 seats out of 58 in Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency.

In fact, the BJP has failed to open its account even in the Araziline block, which houses Prime Minister Narendra Modi adopted Jayapur village. All BJP candidates from seven sectors of Araziline lost in the election, reports Times Of India.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has also emerged as a surprise front-runner in the panchayat elections.

While the state’s ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) took the lead in rural local bodies across the state, the BJP couldn't leave its footprint even in high-profile constituencies, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi.

So far, BJP candidates have won just eight of the 58 seats on offer in Varanasi. In Home Minister Rajnath Singh's Lucknow constituency, the party has just four of the 28 seats. It lost 49 out of 56 seats in Deora, which is the constituency of Union Minister Kalraj Mishra.

The Congress suffered a rout, getting wiped out even in the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi represented by party president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.

In a significant development, Owaisi's MIM won a seat in Azamgarh, the parliamentary constituency of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

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