Ballia (UP): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav will not campaign in the upcoming local body elections in Uttar Pradesh and will not address any rally, a party leader said today. Uttar Pradesh will witness three-phase civic polls from November 22, making it the first electoral examination for the ruling BJP, which stormed to power in the assembly elections earlier this year with a massive mandate.   

Senior SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary said Yadav will not campaign in the upcoming local body elections in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will start his campaign for the upcoming local bodies election from Ayodhya on November 14. He will address a rally each in all the 16 poll-bound municipalities in the state.   

Hitting out at the BJP, Chaudhary, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, alleged that the party which was earlier regarded for its high morals has now "stooped for power". He alleged that when people sitting on the posts of Prime Minister and Chief Minister speak only of gaining political mileage it is difficult to expect morality in politics.   

As per the election schedule, 24 districts will go to polls on November 22, while 25 districts on November 26, and 26 districts on November 29.   Counting of votes polled for 16 Nagar nigams, 198 Nagar Palika parishad and 438 nagar panchayats will be done on December 1.   More than 3.32 crore voters will exercise their franchise at 36,269 polling booths and 11,389 polling stations