Uttar Pradesh: Polling begins for last phase

Lucknow, May 8: Polling for the last and seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections bagan here this morning amid unprecedented security arrangements across 59 constituencies spread out in nine districts.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi told sources here the polling started at 0700 hrs under tight security cover in all the 59 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 the problem at the earliest.

They said during the first hour of polling around four per cent of the total 1.78 crore voters exercised their franchise in over 16000 polling booths.

A report from Gorakhpur said a number of voters reached the polling booths well before the scheduled time for the polling at 0700 hrs.

Encouraged by the violence-free polling of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in Phase-I on April 7 , Phase-II in 58 seats on April 13 , Phase-III on April 18, Phase-IV on April 23 , Phase-V on April 28 and Phase-VII on May 3, the EC has further tightened the security arrangements for last phase voting.

The International border with Nepal and inter-state borders along with Bihar and Jharkhand have been sealed and flag marches are underway in all the constituencies.

The Election Commission has identified 20 assembly constituencies as sensitive and chalked out an intensive plan whereby the electorate in all these assembly segments would be provided adequate security to ensure free and fair voting.

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 helicopter while the 59 constituencies has been provided with 9 additional Central observer to monitor the polling Altogether 637 companies of Central forces and 73 of PAC, besides 10,000-strong state police have been deployed for free and fair polling.

Prominent candidates, whose fate will be decided in this phase of 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 take place on May 11 from 0700 hrs and the new assembly will be constituted before May 13 when the term of the present assembly expires.

Meanwhile, the EC has deployed eight special observers in five districts, out of the total nine, for today's polling along with two IGs and three DIGs. Of the total eight special observers, three will be deployed in Deoria district alone. The EC has also identified five sensitive constituencies where one special observer would be deployed.

Altogether 1.78 crore voters, including 96.3 lakh males, 81.8 lakh females, are elegible to vote in this phase in over 16,000 polling booths. A total of 19,400 EVMs will be used in the polling.

The fate of 934 candidates is at stake in this phase, with 262 of the national and state parties, 338 of the registered parties and rest are independents. There are also 49 women in the fray.

The Deoria assembly constituency has the maximum of 32 contestants, while Kaswa seat has minimum of nine candidates.

The final and the last phase of assembly polls will have the dubious distinction of having 162 candidates with criminal antecedents.

The ruling Samajwadi Party with 32, leads the list of such candidates out of its total 55 for this phase, followed by 19 of the BJP-Apna Dal combine, 20 from the BSP and 16 belonging to the Congress.

Pawan Pandey of Apna Dal, contesting from Akbarpur seat, has 63 cases pending in his name -- the highest among the candidates having criminal background contesting in the entire UP assembly polls.

Altogether 51 candidates in phase-VII have declared their assets of more than Rs one crore and of them, seven even do not have PAN cards. As many as 734 candidates have no PAN card in the last phase.

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.

BJP MP Yogi Adityanath's influence will be tested in the Gorakhpur region while SP General Secretary Amar Singh's home district Azamgarh will also go to polls in this phase.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the ruling SP had won 21 seats out of the 59 at stake, followed by BSP-17, BJP-10, Congress-4, Independent-2 and others 5.

The districts going to polls in this phase are: Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Mau, Azamgarh and Ballia.

The assembly seats are: Katehari, Bhatpar Rani, Akbarpur, Salempur, Jalalpur, Barhaj, Jahangirganj (SC), Natthupur, Tanda, Ghosi, Ayodhya, Sagri, Bikapur, Gopalpur, Milkipur, Azamgarh, Sohawal (SC), Nizamabad, Bansgaon (SC), Atraulia, Dhuriapar, Phulpur, Chillupar, Saraimir (SC), Kauriram, Mehnagar (SC), Mundera Bazar (SC), Lalganj, Pipraich, Mubarakpur, Gorakhpur, Mohammadabad, Gohna (SC), Maniram, Mau, Sahjanwa, Rasra (SC), Paniara, Siar, Pharenda, Chilkahar, Laxmipur, Sikandarpur, Siswa, Bansdih, Maharajganj (SC), Daoba, Shyamdeurwa, Ballia, Naurangia (SC), Kopachit, Ramkola, Hata (SC), Padrauna, Seorahi, Fazilnagar, Kasia, Gauri Bazar, Rudrapur and Deoria.

UNI