Campaigning for Phase-VI of UP polls ends today

Lucknow, May 1: Campaigning for the crucial sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls for 52 constituencies ended this evening, where polling will be held on May 3.

Bypoll for Mirzapur and Robertsganj Lok Sabha seats will also be held along with the sixth phase polling.

Though campaigning was a low key affair, all the political parties have thrown in their weight to woo the voters on caste and communal lines.

Electioneering, which witnessed a lacklustre spree in the first four phases, however, picked up from phase-V with several top political leaders and cinestars canvassing for the respective party candidates.

BJP president Rajnath Singh along with other senior leaders of the party have pitched for the party candidates, while Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul were making all out efforts to impress the voters.

Ruling Samajwadi Party President and chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, along with his close confidant Amar Singh accompanied by cinestars Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada are leaving no stone unturned to regain power.

Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo Mayawati is taking on the rivals single hand by addressing series of meeting daily.

Cinestars Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman, Celina Jaitely, Vinod Khanna, Smriti Irani, Hema Malini along with cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu sought vote for their respective candidates.

Meanwhile, UP's inter-state borders with Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bihar were sealed for security reasons.

Central Para Military Forces(CPMF) have already started combing operation in the naxalite infested Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonebhadra districts.

Special observers have been deployed in the naxalite belt to moniter free and fair polls.

Prominent candidates whose fate will be decided in Phase-VI polling are: former UP assembly speaker and state BJP president Keshri Nath Tripathi and Congress women wing president Rita Bahuguna Joshi(both from Allahabad-south), state minister Ujjawal Raman Singh (Karchana), Puja Pal, widow of slain BSP MLA Raju Pal( Allahabad west), BJP MLA Alka Rai and Siobghuullah Ansari, brother of mafia turned politician Mukhtar Ansari(both from Mohammadabad), BJP MLA Shyamdeo Raichoudhury (Varanasi south) and mafia-turned-politician and JD(U) candidate Dhanjay Singh (Rari).

Altogether 1.63 crore voters, 88.7 lakh males, 75.2 lakh women, are elegible to vote in the election in over 15500 polling booths spread out in nine districts. A total of 17,800 Electronic Voting machines (EVMs) will be used for the polling.

Fate of 785 candidates will be at stake in Phase-VI polling, with 234 of the national and state parties, 263 of the registered parties and rest are independents. There are also 50 women in the fray.

A total of 11 candidates each are in the fray for the Robertganj and Mirzapur Parliamentary by-election. By-elections for both the LS seat was necessitated following disqualification of the BSP MPs involved in the cash-for-question scam.

The Soron Assembly constituency will witness the presence of maximum of 25 contestants, while reserved constituency of Meja(SC) will have the minimum number of nine candidates.

The Chiraigaon assembly constituency will have the largest number of 4,11,069 voters, while the Varanasi south assembly constituency, the smallest ward will have 2,28,983 voters.

The Commission has identified 16 assembly constituencies as sensitive and has chalked out an intensive plan whereby the electors in all these constituencies would be provided adequate security cover so that the voting could take place in a free and fair atmosphere.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the ruling SP had won 20 seats out of the 52 at stake, followed by BSP- 15, BJP- 11, Apna Dal-3, CPI(M), Congress and Independent one each.

The districts going to polls in the phase are: Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Santrividasnagar, Sonebhadra, Mirzapur, Allahabad and Kaushambi.

The assembly seats are:Zahoorabad,Majhwa,Mohammadabad,Mirzapur, Dildarnagar,Chhanvey(SC),Zamania,Meja(SC),Ghazipur,Karchhana, Jakhania(SC),Bara, Sadat(SC),Jhusi,Saidpur,Handia,Dhanapur, Pratappur,Chandauli(SC),Soraon,Chakia(SC),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.

UNI