Campaigning for UP Phase II poll ends by evening

Lucknow, Apr 11: Campaigning for the Phase-II assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on April 13, covering 58 constituencies and spread over 10 districts, ends this evening.

Polling will be held from 0700 hrs to 1700 hrs

Electioneering in the phase started on a dull note, but picked up towards the end with political parties targeting the minority votebank.

With phase II constituencies being communally-sensitive, the Election Commission has made unprecendented security arrangements with central forces conducting flag marches. The inter-state borders will also be sealed off.

Two deputy election commissioners have been appointed by the EC to keep a constant vigil in sensitive areas by making rounds in helicopters.

Two helicopters are expected to be used on the polling day by the EC to monitor the polling process.

The authorities have already declared Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Bulandshahr and Aligarh as sensitive and additional security forces have been deployed in these pockets.

In this phase, the prestige of Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh and BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh would be at stake. Kalyan's son Rajveer and daughter-in-law Premlata are trying their luck for a second time from Dibai and Atrauli seats respectively.

The RLD, which had won 11 seats of the phase in the 2002 polls, is contesting all the segments. Mr Kalyan Singh had contested the 2002 polls under a separate Rashtriya Kranti Party(RKP) banner and had won 3 seats in this phase.

Rebel Samajwadi Party minister Haji Yakoob is contesting as a United Democratic Front(UDF) candididate from two seats -- Meerut and Kharkhauda. Yakoob is also known for his controversial bounty announcement of Rs 51 crore on a Danish cartoonist for lampooning the Prophet Mohammed through cartoons.

Campaigning for the phase was spearheaded by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, while the BJP's team was led by party president Rajnath Singh, former deputy PM L K Advani and other senior leaders.

UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, his close aide Amar Singh along with cinestars and MPs Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada campaigned for the ruling Samajwadi Party, while Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo Mayawati and her deputy Satish Chandra Mishra canvassed for their candidates.

While Muslims constitute a major chunk of the votebank in this phase, the BJP is trying to hardsell its Hindutva agenda.

The EC has given 15 optional Photo Identity in place of Election Photo Identity Cards(EPICs) and directed to ignore small lapses in EPICs.

In the first phase of elections in 62 assembly seats on April 7 last, polling was a mere 46.29 per cent which made the EC direct officials ignore minor lapses.

In the second phase of polling, a total of 1.64 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballot. They comprise 89.8 lakh men and 74.6 lakh women. The authorities have set up 15931 polling booths and about 18,400 Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) would be used. The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements for holding free and fair polls with the deployment of about 650 companies of central forces along with state police personnel.

All the polling stations will be manned by the central forces while general law and order would also be controlled by local policemen.

Altogether, 882 candidates are in the fray for Phase II polling in the state with Ghaziabad having the highest number of 27 candidates while the lowest number of nine is in Atrauli.

There are also 39 women contesting the polls in this phase.

Due to dominance of Muslim voters in this phase, a total of 123 Muslim candiates are also in the fray with a maximum of 13 from RLD, 8 each from Congress and UDF and 6 from BSP. Smaller parties have also fielded around 80 Mulsims.

Of the total candidates, 102 have criminal records while 126 candidates are 'crorepatis' as per the affadavit filed by them along with their nomination papers.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the BSP was the party which had won the maximum 16 seats in the phase followed by 11 by the RLD, 10 by BJP, 8 by SP, 6 by Congress, 3 by Rashtriya Kranti Party,2 by Independents and 2 by others.

Third phase of polling in 57 constituencies will be held on April 18 followed by fourth phase in 57 seats on April 23, fifth phase in 58 seats on April 28, sixth phase in 52 seats on May 3 and seventh and last phase in 59 seats on May 8. Counting of votes for all the phases will be held on May 11 and the new assembly will be constituted by May 13. The tenure of the present assembly will expire on May 14.

The ten districts going to polls in phase-II are: Mathura, Hathras, Aligarh, Gautambuddhnagar, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur.

The constitutencies are: Goverdhan(SC), Meerut,Mathura, Kharkhauda, Chhata, Siwalkhas(SC), Mat, Khekra, Gokul, Baghpat, Sadabad, Barnawa, Hathras, Chhaprauli, Sasni (SC), Kandhla, Sikandara Rao, Khatauli, Gangiri, Jansath (SC), Atrauli, Morna, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Koil (SC), Charthawal(SC), Iglas,Baghra, Barauli, Kairana, Khair,Thana Bhawan, Jewar(SC),Nakur, Khurja, Sarsawa, Dibai, Nagal(SC), Anupshahr, Deoband, Siana, Harora(SC), Agota, Saharanpur, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarabad, Shikarpur(SC), Sikandrabad, Dadri, Ghaziabad, Muradnagar, Modinagar, Hapur(SC), Garhmukteshwar, Kithore,Hastinapur(SC), Sardhana and Meerut Cantt.

UNI