<p>Considered to be a prelude to the next year's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) were locked in a close contest in the Panchayat polls followed by BSP and Congress, according to initial trends. </p>.<p>Though the counting of votes was continuing and was likely to be completed late on Monday, according to the sources in the State Election Commission (SEC), BJP backed candidates were leading in 228 Zila Panchayat seats while the SP supported nominees were ahead on 200 seats.</p>.<p>Congress and BSP nominees were leading 68 and 52 seats respectively, sources said.</p>.<p>According to the initial reports, the kin of several senior leaders from BJP, SP and other mainstream parties have lost. The picture would be clear only by Tuesday.</p>.<p>Miss India runner-up Deeksha Singh, who had taken a plunge into the Panchayat polls and was a contestant from one of the wards under Buxa block in the Jaunpur district, had to bite the dust. She finished a distant third. BJP backed Nagina Singh emerged as the winner.</p>.<p>Besides the BJP, SP, Congress and BSP, Aam Admi Party (AAP) and AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen) have also put up their candidates in the Panchayat polls.</p>.<p>Polling was held for over seven lakh posts of village Panchayat members and a little more than 58 thousand posts of village pradhans besides 3051 posts of Zila Panchayat members last week.</p>.<p>The results of the polls assumed greater significance as they come barely nine months before the next assembly polls in the state. </p>
<p>Considered to be a prelude to the next year's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) were locked in a close contest in the Panchayat polls followed by BSP and Congress, according to initial trends. </p>.<p>Though the counting of votes was continuing and was likely to be completed late on Monday, according to the sources in the State Election Commission (SEC), BJP backed candidates were leading in 228 Zila Panchayat seats while the SP supported nominees were ahead on 200 seats.</p>.<p>Congress and BSP nominees were leading 68 and 52 seats respectively, sources said.</p>.<p>According to the initial reports, the kin of several senior leaders from BJP, SP and other mainstream parties have lost. The picture would be clear only by Tuesday.</p>.<p>Miss India runner-up Deeksha Singh, who had taken a plunge into the Panchayat polls and was a contestant from one of the wards under Buxa block in the Jaunpur district, had to bite the dust. She finished a distant third. BJP backed Nagina Singh emerged as the winner.</p>.<p>Besides the BJP, SP, Congress and BSP, Aam Admi Party (AAP) and AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen) have also put up their candidates in the Panchayat polls.</p>.<p>Polling was held for over seven lakh posts of village Panchayat members and a little more than 58 thousand posts of village pradhans besides 3051 posts of Zila Panchayat members last week.</p>.<p>The results of the polls assumed greater significance as they come barely nine months before the next assembly polls in the state. </p>
