UP poll results: Public is winning, hooliganism is losing, says Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 10 (ANI): Amid the counting of votes that began on Thursday morning, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "the public is winning and hooliganism is losing".
"Public is winning, hooliganism is losing," the minister said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Brajesh Pathak exuded confidence in the party's victory and said it will form the government with a majority.
"The people of UP have rejected Samajwadi Party," Pathak told ANI.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attacked Opposition parties, especially Samajwadi Party throughout the assembly election campaigning.
He said Samajwadi Party, which ruled the state from 2012 to 2017, has joined hands with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) but is again encouraging hooliganism, mafias, and anarchy.
"The SP and RLD alliance showed its character from its list released for the upcoming assembly elections. Once again, SP has given tickets to criminals and rioters in the UP polls," he said.
Adityanath said Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that SP is ready to throw western Uttar Pradesh into the communal fire once again by giving tickets to such people.
The counting began at 8 am today morning and will continue till its completion.
The electorally-crucial state witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) vying for the popular mandate.
In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the magic figure is 202 and the exit polls have predicted the BJP victory, retaining power in the state with its allies, which will be an unprecedented second term. However, pollsters have also predicted that the BJP's tally would be less than its strength after the 2017 elections. The SP which fought the polls in alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and some other parties would improve its performance, the exit polls predicted.
Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to March 7 in seven phases to elect 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. (ANI)