A tearing thunderstorm heralded Mayawati's return to power and has left more than half the state capital powerless since Friday evening.

As many as 27 persons were reported killed in the calamity that spelt the biggest blow in Lucknow's neighbouring district of Sultanpur, where it took a toll of 24.

Three persons died in Pratapgarh, while the gale caused tremendous loss of life and property in the state capital.

The thunderstorm mauled the city, uprooting trees, bringing down hoardings, collapsing lampposts and paralysed power lines.

Even the election commission was paralysed for sometime with all computers abruptly shutdown.

"The adverse weather sent our office too into darkness for quite some time, resulting in delay in the preparation of the final results," disclosed Chief Election Officer Anuj Kumar Bishnoi.

Describing it as one of the worst squalls over the recent past, electricity authorities had failed to restore power in most areas till Saturday evening.

"I doubt if normal power supply would be restore in all affected areas anytime before Saturday evening," remarked Power Corporation Managing Director Avanish Awasthi. "Our men have been on the job since last night, but the magnitude of the task is so huge that it was bound to take time," he said.

In the absence of electricity supply, the blaring noise of generators could be heard from every other road.