Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 4 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Aparna Yadav on Thursday cast her vote in Lucknow in the first phase of Municipal Corporation elections of Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing reporters here the BJP leader said, "Voting is a festival for a democracy which gives rights to every person to cast his vote and strengthens the democracy. I urge everyone to cast their vote in the UP Municipal Corporation election 2023."

Also Read | Honour Killing in Rajasthan: Girl Brutally Killed by Mother, Brother for Talking to Lover in Ajmer, Accused Held.

Voting began in 37 districts of 9 divisions and 10 municipal corporations. In 10 municipal corporations, voting will be held in 830 wards, 9,699 polling places and 2,658 polling stations are set up in Municipal Corporations.

The first phase of Municipal Corporation elections began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security arrangements. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak were among the first to cast votes.

Also Read | German Exports Suffer March Slump.

On the other hand, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Thursday cast her vote and expressed her hope to receive a "good response" from the public for the party.

"Our party is fighting this election alone without the support of any other party. We are hopeful that our party will receive a good response and we will get positive results," BSP Supremo told reporters.

The polling for the second phase will take place on May 11 to elect representatives for the posts across 760 local bodies in the state. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)