Varanasi Nagar Nigam election results 2017 LIVE UPDATES: BJP's Mridula Jaiswal wins Mayor post

Counting began early Friday morning after local body elections were held in three phases in Uttar Pradesh. The polls are seen as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's first major electoral test.

Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, was one of the 75 districts where polling was conducted. The Varanasi Nagar Nigam serves 11,98,491 people, its website says (based on Census figures from 2011).

Stay tuned for all updates from this district. Follow our main live blog for updates from all districts.

LIVE UPDATES

• BJP's Mridula Jaiswal wins Varanasi Mayor post.

• BJP Mayor candidate races past Congress. Takes lead in Varanasi.

• Congress wins President's post in Gangapur Nagar Panchayat in Varanasi.

• Congress candidate Kaushalya Devi wins from Tulsipur, whereas BJP candidate Sangeeta wins from Malviyanagar. Out of results for 4 wards, Congress has won 2, BJP 1 and SP 1.

• The BJP is ahead by 16,000 votes. Here's the break-up of votes : BJP - 37861; Samajwadi Party - 21665; Congress - 9624; BSP - 10301; NOTA - 1261

• BJP is leading by 12,000 votes

• The party was leading by 5,500 votes.