Unprecendented security for ph V of polls

Lucknow, Apr 27: The crucial fifth Phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held tomorrow in 57 assembly constituencies spread across nine districts amid an unprecedented security.

More than 648 companies of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) have been deployed for this phase along with over 66,000 state police for holding a free and fair poll.

'' CPMF are conducting flag marches in all the sensitive areas to instill confidence among the voters while the inter-state border with Madhya Pradesh in Chitrakoot and Banda districts has been sealed '', said principal home secretary K Chandramauli.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the dacoit infested Banda, Chitrakoot and Fatehpur districts and additional forces have been deployed in the sensitive Pratapgarh district to tackle any law and order problem.

Four phases of elections have already been held on April 7,13,18 and 23, without a single incident of violence.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi told UNI here that all preparations for holding peaceful polling tomorrow have been completed and the poll parties were being despatched from the district headquarters since this morning. The polling will start at 0700 hrs and will continue till 1700 hrs.

The CEO said that additional special observers have been deployed in each district while a Deputy Election Commissioner will monitor the polling on a helicopter.

Election for the Khaga assembly seat in Fatehpur district was countermanded following death of the Congress candidate Munna Lal Maurya in a road accident yesterday.

Phase-V is crucial for the country's politics as the assembly segments in the parliamentary constituencies of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are also involved in it.

Political strength of former Prime Minister and Jan Morcha founder V P Singh will also be tested in this phase in his home constituency of Fatehpur.

Campaigning, which was lacklustre in the last four phases, picked up in this phase with several top political leaders and filmstars canvassing for their respective party candidates.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with several party leaders, including BJP president Rajnath Singh, pitched for the party candidates while Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her MP son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka had gone all out to woo the voters. The young Congress MP attracted large crowds during his roadshows.

However, Priyanka had only campaigned in Rae Bareli and Amethi, while the mother-son duo concentrated on the rest of the state.

Ruling Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his close confidant Amar Singh, accompanied by filmstars Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada have left no stone unturned to retain power in the state.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati had taken the rivals single-handedly by addressing a series of meetings daily.

Filmstars Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman, Celina Jaitley, Vinod Khanna, Smriti Irani, Hema Malini along with cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu also campaigned in the favour of various candidates. This phase will be a test for the Election Commission (EC)'s secuirty measures as family members of dacoits are contesting several seats in Pratpagarh, Banda and Chitrakoot districts.

Like the fourth phase, Kurmi and Brahmin voters will dominate in most of the seats while other caste might play an important role in deciding the fate of the candidates.

Prominent candidates in the fray for the fifth phase are leader of the Opposition in the State assembly and BJP leader Lalji Tandon (Lucknow-west), Congress legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari (Rampur Khas), Bahujan Samaj Party legislature party leader Swami Prasad Maurya (Dalmau), UP minister and Independent candidate Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya (Kunda), state minister Naresh Agarwal (Hardoi), Congress leader Amita Singh (Amethi) and Independent candidate Akhilesh Singh (Rae Bareli).

SP candidate and younger brother of dacoit Dadua, Bal Kumar, is contesting from Patti in Pratapgarh while Pipraiya Devi, mother of dacoit Thokia, an RLD candidate is pitted against Sampat Devi of the Gulabi Gang in the Naraini seat in Banda district.

Jailed dacoit Nathu Yadav's daughter Santoshi Devi is pitted against Siya Devi, daughter-in-law of dreaded criminal Umar Kevet in Bebru seat of Banda district.

A total of 1.59 crore electorate, including 86.2 lakh males and 72.6 lakh females, will exercise their franchise in 15692 booths spread out in 57 constituencies. About 18000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used for the polling in this phase.

Altogether 850 candidates are in the fray for the fifth phase with 115 candidates having a criminal background. Of the total candidates, 61 have declared their assets worth over Rs one crore.

Of the total candidates, 254 are from national and state level parties, 224 of smaller parties and rest are Independents.

There are 55 women candidates also in the fray.

The Mohana seat in the state capital has the highest number of 35 candidates in the fray while the lowest is at Manipur (reserved) seat in Chitrakoot district.

In 2002 assembly polls, BSP won the maximum 18 seats out of the 57 while BJP won 16 seats, SP 14, Congress 4 and others 5.

The districts going to polls on April 28 are : Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Fatehpur, Chitrakoot and Banda.

The constituencies going to polls in the fifth Phase are: Beniganj(SC), Pratapgarh, Sandila, Birapur, Ahirori(SC), Patti, Hardoi, Amethi, Bawan (SC), Gauriganj, Pihani, Jagdishpur(SC), Sahabad, Issauli, Bilgram, Sultanpur, Mallawan, Jaisinghpur, Bangarmau, Chanda, Safipur(SC), Kadipur (SC), Unnao, Hadha, Kishunpur(SC), Bhagwant Nagar, Haswa, Purwa, Fatehpur, Hasanganj(SC), Jahanabad, Malihabad(SC), Bindki, Mahona, Manikpur(SC), Lucknow East, Karwi, Lucknow West, Baberu, Lucknow Central, Tindwari, Lucknow Cantonment, Banda, Sarojini Nagar, Naraini, Mohanlalganj (SC), Bachhrawan(SC), Tiloi, Rae Bareli, Sataon, Sareni, Dalmau, Salon(SC), Kunda, Bihar(SC), Rampurkhas and Gadwara.

UNI

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