High-pitched campaigning for last phase polls to end tomorrow

Lucknow, May 5 (UNI) Campaigning for the crucial seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls to 59 constituencies spread over nine districts of eastern parts of the state will come to an end tomorrow, where polling will be held on May 8.

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.

The Lacklustre electioneering, 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 MP Yogi Adityanath's popularity will be at stake in this phase mostly in the Gorakhpur region, while SP general secretary Amar Singh's home district Azamgarh will test the party's support base.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, along with other senior leaders of the party, has 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, 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 with single handidly by addressing series of meetings daily.

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

Meanwhile, UP's inter-state borders with Bihar and Jharkhand and international borders with Nepal would be sealed by tomorrow evening for security reasons.

Prominent candidates whose fate will be decided in Phase-VII polling are: Former UP Chief Minister and Congress candidate Ram Naresh Yadav (Phulpur), UP ministers and SP candidates Ambikar Choudhury (Copachit), Ram Govind Chouhdury (bansdih), Narad Rai (Balia), Kameshwar Upadhaya, criminal turned politician Harishanker Tiwari (Chilupar), Amarmani Tripathi (Laxmipur), Mukhtar Ansari (Mau), BSP senior leader and candidate Lalji Verma (Tanda) and rebel SP MP Beni Prasad Verma (Ayodhya).

Counting of votes for all the seven phases will be held on May 11 and the new assembly is to be constituted before May 13 when the term of the present assembly expires.

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