Campaigning for phase-IV polls to end tomorrow

Lucknow, Apr 20: Lacklustre campaigning for the crucial April 23 Phase-IV election in Uttar Pradesh, covering 57 assembly seats spread across 10 districts, will end tomorrow evening.

Campaigning started on a dull note, but picked up in the later stages with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul pitching for the Congress candidates while the BJP charge was led by party president Rajnath Singh, former deputy prime minister L K Advani along and several other leaders.

Ruling SP president and chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is spearheading the electioneering by addressing 8 to 10 election meetings daily, while BSP supremo Mayawati is making all out efforts to consolidate her position.

The fourth phase of polling will be crucial for the SP, as the rebel party leader Beni Prasad Verma factor will be tested in the districts like Barabanki and Bhariach.

The caste base in the phase will consist of Kurmi in the region of Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki and Bhariach where the SP was very strong in the previous elections.

Due to strong Kurmi population in this phase, Apna Dal, the pre-poll alliance partner of BJP, has announced candidates in more than 10 seats.

Prominent candidates whose fate will be decided in Phase-IV include bureaucrat-turned-politician P L Punia from Fatehpur, UP assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey (Itwa), UP minister Arvind Singh Gope(Haidergarh) and Reshma Arif, wife of the former Congress leader Arif Mohammad Khan from Bhariach.

One-day chief minister of UP Jagdambika Pal, Dr Wakar Ahmad Shah, who locked horns with senior Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma resulting into the latter declaring to field his separate candidates, Gita Singh, wife of UP's former Director General of Police (DGP) Yashpal Singh, Rakesh Verma, son of Beni are also in the fray to make this phase more interesting and speculative.

In nine constituencies of Phase-IV there are more than four candidates facing criminal cases. These constitutuencies are Naugarh, Nighasan, Balrampur, Mehndawal, Biswan, Gainsari, Shoratgarh, Itwa and Domariaganj.

In this phase, 45 candidates have declared assets of more than Rs one crore. Altogether 922 candidates, including 57 women, are in fray for the fourth phase poll and criminal cases are pending again 116 contestants. Of the total candidates, 255 are from the national and state recognised parties, 252 from smaller parties and the other 415 are independents.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the ruling SP won a maximum 31 seats out of the 57 at stake in Phase-IV while the BJP won 14, BSP 9, Congress 2 and other 1.

A total of 1.57 crore voters, 85.2 lakh male and 72.1 lakh female, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 15,700 polling booths. About 18,100 electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) will also be used in the phase.

The districts going to poll in the phase are Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki,Bahriach, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Gonda,Basi, Sidharthnagar and Santkabirnagar.

The constituencies are: Mohamdi(SC), Utraula,Haiderabad, Sadullah Nagar, aila(SC), Mankapur(SC), Lakhimpur, Mujehna, Srinagar, Gonda, Nighasan,Katra zar, Dhaurehra, Colonelganj, Behta, Dixir(SC), Biswan, arraiya, Mahmoodabad, Captainganj, Sidhauli(SC), Nagar East(SC), Laharpur, Basti, Sitapur, Ramnagar, Hargaon(SC), Domariaganj, Misrikh, Itwa, Machhrehta(SC), Shohratgarh, Rudauli, Naugarh, Dariyabad, Bansi, Siddhaur(SC), Khesraha, Haidergarh, Menhdawal, Masauli, Khalilabad(SC), Nawabganj,Hainsarbazar(SC),Fatehpur(SC),Ramnagar,Kaiserganj, Fakharpur,Mahsi,Nanpara,Charda(SC),Bhinga,Bahraich,Ikauna(SC), Gainsari,Tulsipur and Balrampur.

UNI