Bharatiya Janata Party has won just eight out of the 40 zila panchayat seats in Ayodhya, a disappointment for the ruling party in the district on which the Centre and the state government have lavished much attention.
The opposition Samajwadi Party claimed to have made major gains in the panchayat elections held last month, saying candidates it backed won 22 district level seats here.
The Bahujan Samaj Party claimed its candidates won four zila panchayat seats in Ayodhya.
Lakhs of candidates contested the panchayat elections across Uttar Pradesh — for seats at four levels including the village and the district — on free symbols allotted by the State Election Commission (SEC).