Phase VI polling in UP begins

Lucknow, May 3: Polling for the sixth phase of elections to 52 Assembly constituencies, spread over nine districts of Uttar Pradesh, began on a dull note this morning amid unprecedented security cover.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi told UNI here that the polling started at 0700 hrs under a tight security cover in all the 52 assembly segments.

He said special security arrangements have been made in the Naxal affected Sonebhadra, Chandauli and Mirzapur districts with an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter along with commandos conducting aerial surveillance.

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

Sources said in the first one hour of polling around 3 per cent of the total 1.63 crore voters have exercised their franchise in 15,508 polling booths so far.

Encouraged by the violence-free polling in Phase-I of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on April 7, Phase-II in 58 seats on April 13 , Phase-III on April 18, Phase IV on April 23 and Phase V on April 28, the EC has further tightened security arrangements for Phase-VI voting.

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

Inter-state borders with Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have been sealed off and flag marches are underway in all the constituencies.

The Commission has identified 16 assembly constituencies as sensitive and chalked out an intensive plan whereby the electors in all these constituencies would be provided adequate security cover so that voting could take place in a free and fair atmosphere The Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) was being 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 52 constituencies has been provided with nine additional central observer to monitor the polling.

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

With the call of a couple of banned Naxalite outfits of poll boycott in the Naxal-affected districts, state Principal secretary (Home) K Chandramauli said patrolling on boats have started on Karmnasha and Sone rivers while 680 villages under 23 police stations of Chandauli and Sonebhadra districts have been deployed with additional forces following apprehension of Naxal attack.

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), Apna Dal supremo Sone Lal Patel( Soraon and Kolasla) and mafia-turned-politician and JD(U) candidate Dhanjay Singh (Rari).

Altogether 1.63 crore voters -- 88.7 lakh men and 75.2 lakh women -- are elegible to vote in the election in 15,508 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-querry 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.

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.

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