Lucknow, May 4 (IANS): The panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh have witnessed major upsets with several political stalwarts and their relatives losing the polls.

Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's niece Sandhya Yadav, who shifted to the BJP to contest the zila panchayat elections, has lost from Ghiror in Mainpuri, a Samajwadi bastion.

She was defeated by the SP's Pramod Yadav.

In Ballia, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior SP leader Ram Govind Choudhary's son Ranjit Choudhary lost the election for a district panchayat member's seat, officials said. He came third in the race.

BJP MLA Dhananjay Kanaujia's mother, Surya Kumari Devi, lost the kshetra panchayat election as did former BJP MP Harinarain Rajbhar's son Atal Rajbhar and former SP Minister Shardanand Anchal's grandson Vinay Prakash Anchal.

BJP MP Neeraj Shekhar's relative Alok Singh lost the Siyar kshetra panchayat election.

Devendra Yadav of the BJP's Goraksh Prant has also lost the elections.

In Mirzapur, Maniram Kol, member of the SC/ST Commission has lost.

The BJP's Jyoti Rai has lost in Azamgarh while in Deoria, BJP MLA Kali Prasad's wife and nephew have lost the election for the BDC member.

In Ghazipur, former SP MP Radhey Mohan Singh's wife Anjana Singh has lost the election.

Meanwhile, AAP state unit president Sabhajeet Singh alleged that the administration at various places is not handing out the election certificates to party candidates under pressure from the state government.

Independents, meanwhile, have an edge by leading on 499 seats, indicating that they will play a big role in forming a party board in the district panchayat.