Lucknow: Polling began for 61 seats spread over 12 districts in the fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on a peaceful note amid tight security arrangements on Sunday.
Polling which started at 7 pm will continue till 6 pm. The districts where polling is being held include Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Barabanki, Ayodhya, Bahraich, Shravasti and Gonda.
Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said that 2.25 crore voters, including 1.20 crore male and 1.05 crore female, are eligible to decide the electoral fortune of 693 candidates, including 90 women, in this phase.
He said that the polling is being held at 25,995 polling booths at 14,030 polling stations. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said that 23 assembly constituencies have been categorised as sensitive.
It includes Phaphamau, Soraon, Phoolpur, Handia, Meja, Karchana, Allahabad West, Allahabad South, Rampur Khas, Patti, Kunda, Babaganj, Sirathu, Manjhanpur, Gosaiganj, Kursi, Ramnagar, Dariyabad, Isauli, Lambhua, Mahsi, Payagpur and Kaisarganj.
He said that 1,119 hamlets and localities have been identified as vulnerable, whereas 4,547 polling booths have been marked as critical.
Kumar said that 120 pink booths have been set up in this phase where 20 female inspectors or sub-inspectors and 295 constables or head constables have been deployed.
"805.11 companies of central forces will be deployed at the polling booths in this phase," he said. He said, "From UP police 7,337 inspector or sub-inspectors, 61,300 constables or head constables along with 22 companies of PAC, 47,741 home guards and 2,667 PRD jawans have been deployed."
The ADG said that in this phase 150 cognizable and 67 non-cognizable violations of the model code of conduct have been lodged in 12 districts going to poll. "Besides, 33 cases of violation of Covid protocols have also been lodged," he said.
It may be noted that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which faced a tough challenge from Samajwadi Party (SP) in the previous phases, hopes to get an edge over its opponents in Awadh and Purvanchal regions of the state.
To maintain its dominance in the next three phases of UP polls, BJP has campaigned extensively in this phase.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Smriti Irani, BJP president JP Nadda and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have held several rallies in support of the BJP candidates as well as those of allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Nishad Party.
Even on the last day of campaigning Home Minister Shah's addressed rallies in Prayagraj, Kaushambi and Ambedkar Nagar, whereas CM Yogi campaigned in Sultanpur, Chitrakoot and Prayagraj.
This phase is a litmus test for Congress and will decide how much charisma of Priyanka Gandhi has worked in the favour in this phase as polling will also be held in Amethi and Rae Bareli districts, considered to be the party's bastion till 2017.
According to a political analyst Congress is making all out efforts to regain it's bastion this is the reason not only Priyanka campaigned extensively in two districts, but even Rahul Gandhi joined her on the last day of the campaigning and recounted his decades old relationship with Amethi.
Likewise, it will also be a test for Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in 2019, who is trying to maintain BJP's dominance in these two districts.
Prestige of six ministers in Yogi government including Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Maurya is contesting from Sirathu seat in Kaushambi district and SP has pitched Pallavi Patel against him.
Pallavi is the estranged sister of Union Minister Anupriya Patel, an ally of BJP. Other than Maurya, cabinet minister Rajendra Pratap Singh is contesting from Patti seat in Pratapgarh district.
Cabinet minister and grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Siddharth Nath Singh is contesting from Allahabad West. Civil Aviation Minister Nand Gopal 'Nandi' is also contesting from Allahabad South Seat.
Social Welfare Minister Ramapati Shastri is contesting from Mankapur seat and Minister of State Chandrika Prasad Upadhyaya from Chitrakoot Sadar. Members of royal families are also trying their luck in this phase.
Former minister and MP Sanjay Sinh is contesting from Amethi seat. It may be noted that once considered close to Sanjay Gandhi and former PM Rajiv Gandhi left Congress in 2019 and joined BJP.
Several times MLA and Kunwar of erstwhile Kunda estate Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya is in the fray from his traditional seat Kunda in Pratapgarh district.
Among other prominent candidates Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) president and mother of Union Minister Anupriya Patel's mother Krishna Patel is contesting from Pratapgarh Sadar seat.
Daughter of senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari and two time MLA from Rampur Khaas Aradhana Mishra 'Mona' is trying luck from her traditional seat.
It may be noted that out of 61 seats in this phase, BJP won 51, its ally Apna Dal 2, SP 5, Congress 1 and two seats went to the independents. (UNI)
