UP all set for third phase of Assembly elections 2012 today

New Delhi, Feb 15: With Uttar Pradesh witnessing its third phase of Assembly elections in the crucial 56 seats across eastern UP and the Vindhyachal region, the polls will see voting in all the 12 Assembly constituencies. The fate of 250 candidates will be determined as certain key constituencies will go for polls. A whopping 1.77 crore voters are expected to cast their votes on Wednesday.

According to District Election Officer Alok Kumar, 3,707 polling stations have been set up across the districts of Amethi and Sulthanpur. The high profile district has a total of 37.70 lakh voters, with 20.80 lakh men and 16.88 lakh women.

There has been a decline in voter turnout over the years, with the poll percentage standing at 51.91 in 1996, dropping to 47.75 in 2002 and further dipping to 43.94 per cent in 2007.

Irrespective of the outcome, the polls are an acid test for the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and UP CM Mayawati. With the state having to witness many scams and corruption under her rule, if the Opposition and other parties can take advantage of this fact remains to be seen.

OneIndia News