Polling for Phase V begins on dull note in UP

Lucknow, Apr 28: Polling began on a dull note this morning for the crucial fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 57 constituencies spread across nine districts under unprecedented security cover.

State chief electoral officer (CEO) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi told sources here that the polling started at 0700 hours under tight security cover in all the 57 assembly segments.

According to EC sources, preliminary teething troubles were reported from several places due to non-functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) but efforts were underway to rectify problems at the earliest.

Sources said in the first one hour of polling, around 3 per cent of the total 1.59 crore voters exercised their franchise in over 15600 polling booths so far.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was expected to reach here to cast his vote, is said to have postponed his visit. BJP president Rajnath Singh and BSP supremo Mayawati were expected to exercise their franchise in the state capital later in the day. Encouraged by the violence-free polling in earlier four phases of Phase-I of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the Election Commission has further tightened security arrangements for the fifth phase.

Security forces were conducting flag march while the border with Madhya Pradesh in Banda and Chitrakoot districts has been sealed.

The Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) have been deployed in all the polling booths and sensitive areas to maintain law and order.

Deputy Election Commissioner J P Prakash has been appointed by the EC to keep a constant vigil in the sensitive areas by making rounds in a helicopter while the 57 constituencies have been provided with nine additional central observers to monitor the polling.

Altogether 648 companies of CPMF along with 66,000 state police have been deployed for the fifth phase of polling.

A total of 1.59 crore voters, 85.7 lakh male and 73.3 lakh female, were expected to exercise their right to franchise in 15,600 polling booths while about 18,100 electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) would be used in this phase.

State principal secretary (Home) K Chandramauli said here that 5 IG and 4 DIG level officials were deputed in the nine districts to monitor the development of security forces.

Polling in the Khaga constituency in Fatepur has been adjourned following the death of the Congress candidate Munna Lal Maurya on Thursday in a road accident.

The fifth phase of polling is crucial as the assembly segments in the parliamentary constituencies of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will be at stake.

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 Fatepur. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi will also witness some close contest in this phase.

Mr Vajpayee along with several BJP leaders, including party president Rajnath Singh, ave pitched for the party candidates while Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her MP son Rahul and daughter Priyanka had gone all out to woo the voters.

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

Ruling Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav along with his close confidant Amar Singh and accompanied by cinestars Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada has left no stone unturned to regain power in the state. Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo Mayawati had taken on the rivals single handedly by addressing series of meetings daily. Cinestars like Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman, Celina Jaitley, Vinod Khanna, Smriti Irani, Hema Malini along with cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu sought vote for their respective candidates.

This phase will be a test for the Election Commission(EC) as family members of dacoits were contesting several of the seats in Pratpagarh, Banda and Chitrakoot districts.

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

Prominent candidates in the fray for the 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), Congress leader Amita Singh (Amethi),state minister Naresh Agarwal (Hardoi) 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.

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

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

Mohanad seat in the state capital has the highest number of 35 candidates in the fray while Manikpur(reserved) has the lowest of 6 candidates.

The districts going to polls today are; Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Fatehpur, Chitrakoot and Banda.

The constituencies going to poll in Phase-V 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, Khaga, 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