Lucknow: Polling began on a peaceful note on Sunday for 59 seats spread across 16 districts in the third phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Voting that started amid tight security at 7 am will continue till 6 pm. Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said 2.16 crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 627 candidates, including 97 women. Of the 2.16 crore voters there are 1.16 male and 99,90,000 female electorates.
"Polling will be held at 25,794 booths at 15,557 polling stations," he said.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said 13 assembly constituencies Kannauj, Shikohabad, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Bhogaon, Kishni, Karhal, Aliganj, Sadabad, Arya Nagar, Sisamau, Kidwai Nagar and Kanpur Cantt have been categorised as sensitive.
"A total of 887 hamlets and localities have been marked as vulnerable, whereas 5,401 polling booths have been identified as critical," he said.
There are 19 seats of Firozabad, Hathras, Mainpuri, Etah and Kasganj districts in Braj region. Twenty seven seats of Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Farrukhabad, Kannauj and Etawah districts in the Awadh region. Thirteen seats of Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Mahoba and Hamirpur districts in Bundelkhand region.
The 'Yadav belt' of Etah, Etawah and Mainpuri, which is considered to be a bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP), that was breached by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2017 assembly polls, also comes into play in this phase.
Of the 59 seats, BJP won 49 in the last elections, whereas got SP 9 and Congress 1. Bahujan Samaj Party had failed to open its account. When SP formed the government in 2012 it had won 37 out of 59 seats in this region.
While opposition parties are fighting for their survival, they are hopeful of regaining lost ground this time, BJP too is trying hard to hold fort. Not only the prestige of ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government, but also that of an Union Minister is at stake.
Union Minister SP Singh Baghel is challenging Akhilesh Yadav from the Karhal seat, which has been a stronghold of SP, in Mainpuri district.
Among ministers in the Yogi government, Excise Minister Ram Naresh Agnihotri is fighting from Bhogaon seat in Mainpuri and Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana is contesting from his traditional seat Maharajganj in Kanpur district.
Besides, Sadabad, Jaswant Nagar, Farrukhabad and Kannauj are a few other prominent seats with popular faces. SP founder and now patron Mulayam Singh's brother Shivpal Yadav is contesting from Jaswant Nagar. Shivpal has forged an alliance with Akhilesh and is contesting under the SP symbol, despite having his own party.
Mulayam's other relative Hari Om Yadav is contesting from Sirsaganj seat on BJP's ticket. Once considered the Brahmin face of BSP, Ramvir Upadhyaya is contesting from Sadabad seat on a BJP ticket. Kanpur''s former Commissioner of Police Aseem Arun, who has taken a plunge in politics after taking VRS, is in the fray from Kannauj (reserve) seat.
Congress has fielded Louis Khursheed, wife of former Union Minister Salman Khursheed, from Farrukhabad seat. The party has also reposed faith in Ajay Kapoor and fielded him from Kidwai Nagar seat and Karishma Thakur, is contesting from Govind Nagar seat. Both lost in the last election by slender margins.
Almost all the political parties including ruling BJP, and SP, BSP and Congress have campaigned extensively. Of the 59 seats going to polls in this phase Dalit voters on two dozen seats and backwards on similar seat will be the deciding factor. According to political analysts, farmers' issue still pose problems for the ruling BJP.
"While SP is trying to regain its lost ground, BSP is making efforts to improve its performance specially in Bundelkhand region, which had been its bastion in the past," they said.
The ADG said in this phase 170 pink booths have been set up for women electorates in which 38 female inspectors or sub-inspectors and 339 female constables or head constables have been deployed. "In this phase 860.33 companies of central forces have been deployed at 15,557 polling stations.
"From UP police 5,154 inspectors or sub-inspectors, 50,597 constables or head constables along with 39.2 company PAC, 49,905 Home Guards, 1330 PRD jawans and 10,425 chowkidars have been deployed in poll duty," Kumar said. (UNI)