UP polls: VI phase notification to be issued on Apr 5

Lucknow, Apr 4: The poll process for the crucial sixth phase of Assembly elections will start tomorrow with the notification for 52 seats of central and eastern Uttar Pradesh where polling will be held on May 3.

Nominations for phase-VI will continue till April 12, while scrutiny would be done on next day. Candidates can withdraw their nomination papers till April 16.

Yesterday, Governor T V Rajeshwar issued the notification for Phase-V for which nominations can be submitted till April 10.

Scrutiny of papers would be done on next day while candidates can withdraw their nominations till April 13.

For sixth phase polling to be held on May 3, over 1.63 crore voters will exercise their franchise, including 88.7 lakh male and 75.2 lakh female, in 8210 polling stations spread out in nine districts. Altogether 17800 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs ) will also be used for polling in the phase.

The second last phase of polling in the state will cover the sensitive naxalite belt of Sonebhadra, Chandauli and Mirzapur districts, while politically-awared region of Varanasi and Allahabad.

Meanwhile, campaign for the first phase of polling in 62 Assembly seats where elections is done on April 7 would come to an end tomorrow at 1700 hrs.

The poll process for the second phase of polling to be held on April 13 has also been completed with 883 candidates in the fray, while in the first phase there are 848 in the fray.

In the third phase candidates can withdraw their nominations till this evening, while for the fourth phase, today is the last date for filing of nominations, scrutiny would be done tomorrow .

Nomination papers can be withdrawn till April 7.

After the notification for Phase-VI tomorrow, election process in 344 seats out of the total 403-member UP assembly would start. The EC had made elaborate security arrangements for free-and-fair polls in the state and Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami is personally monitoring the election process in the Uttar Pradesh. In 2002 Assembly polls, the ruling Samajwadi Party had won 20 seats, the BJP 11, the BSP 15, the Apna Dal 3, the Congress 1, Independent 1 and the CPI(M) 1 in the 52 seats at stake in the sixth phase. In order to ensure fair-and-free elections, the EC would deploy 657 companies of central forces in the UP, earmarking each and every polling station as ''sensitive.'' The Commission has already appointed one central observer for each constituency, besides additional observers would be positioned at the ''sensitive'' constituencies.

A Phase Cordinator has also been appointed by the EC who will monitor the deployment of central forces and hear the complaints of the political parties.

The nine districts going to poll in the fifth phase are: Varanasi, Allahabad, Sonebhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Jaunpur, Gazipur, Kaushambi and Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadoi).

The constituencies are: Zahoorabad, Majhwa, Mohammadabad, Mirzapur, Dldarnagar, Chhanvey(SC), Zamania, Meja(SC), Ghazipur, Karchhana, Jakhania(SC), Bara, Sadat(SC), Jhunsi, Saidpur, Handia, Dhanapur, Pratappur, Chandauli(SC), Soraon, Chakia, Nawabganj, Mughalsarai, Allahabad North, Varanasi Cantonment, Allahabad South, Varanasi South, Allahabad West, Varanasi North, Chail(SC), Chiraigaon, Manjhanpur(SC), Kolasla, Sirathu (SC), Gangapur, Aurai, Gyanpur, Bhadohi(SC), Barsathi, Mariahu, Kerakat(SC), Bayalsi, Jaunpur, Rari, Shahganj(SC), Khutahan, Garwara, Machhlishahr, Dudhi(SC), Robertsganj(SC), Rajgarh and Chunar.

The seventh and the last phase of elections in 59 Assembly segments of eastern UP will start on April 13, where polling is scheduled to be held on May 8. The candidates can submit their nominations till April 20 which would be scrutinised next day. The last date for the withdrawal of nominations is April 23.

Counting of votes of all the seven phases would be taken up in the morning of May 11 and the entire election process would be completed by May 13.

The tenure of the 14th assembly expires on May 14.

UNI