UP elections: All you need to know about the first phase of polling

Here is what you need to know about first phase polling.

73 assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh spread across 15 districts are set to go for polls on Saturday amid elaborate security arrangements. The three-cornered contest is being seen as a litmus test for or Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nearly three-year rule.

Here is what you need to know about first phase polling:

• A total of 840 candidates are in fray whose fates would be decided by 2.6 crore voters. The polling will held in 1,181 polling stations.

• Among this 1 crore 17 lakh voters are women and more than 1500 voters have identified themselves as third gender.

• Home Minister Rajnath Singh's son, Pankaj Singh, BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma, controversial BJP leader Sangeet Som are among the key leaders contesting on Saturday.

• Meerut, which has 7 assembly constituencies, has more than 24 lakh 46 thousand voters who will decide thee fate of 72 contestants.

• BSP is fielding Muslim candidates on 18 out of 73 seats while SP-Congress alliance has put forth Muslim candidates in 12 constituencies.

• Saturday's polls includes sensitive districts like Muzzafarnagar, Shamli, Merrut, Baghpat, Etah, Agra, Gautam Budhh Nagar and Mathura.

• Rahul Yadav, son- in-law of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, is contesting on SP ticket from Sikandrabad seat in Gautam Buddha Nagar district.

• Former BJP UP president Laxmikant Bajpai is also trying his luck from Meerut seat to make a hat trick.

OneIndia News