<br/>Amid strong opposition from all the major political parties, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved amendments for holding local bodies elections on non-political affiliations. The Cabinet meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Mayawati held in Lucknow.<br/><br/>An official spokesperson has said as per the amended rule, the urban local bodies elections would now be held without political affiliation like being done in the three-tier Panchayat elections. He has said that before giving its assent to the amendment in Uttar Pradesh Municipalities (Election of Members, Corporators, Chairman and Mayors) Rules, 2010, the Government had invited suggestions and objections from the public under which eight representations were received by the Principal Secretary urban development which were taken into consideration. <br/><br/>The spokesperson has said that Uttar Pradesh Municipalities Rules, 2010 would not give full autonomous to the State Election Commission to hold the urban local bodies elections in free and fair manner as there was no rule earlier and the elections of the Local bodies were held on executive order of the Government. <br/><br/>Several political parties including the BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party had already lodged their written protest against the proposed amendment. The Congress has said holding local bodies elections without a political symbol was a conspiracy of the BSP government as they have no stake in the polls. BJP state President Surya Pratap Sahi has said the party would not accept the diktat of the Mayawati Government, which was only an effort to weaken the democratic set-up in the state. Samajwadi Party state president Akhilesh Yadav too has criticised the state government for amending the existing election process of the urban local bodies.<br/>