Lucknow:
Around 56 per cent of the 1.75 crore-strong electorate today exercised its franchise for 56 seats in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in which Mayawati's ruling BSP is facing a strong challenge from the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The incident-free third phase of the seven-part elections in the state will decide the fate of three cabinet ministers, a minister of state, 29 sitting MLAs and 14 former ministers.
The polling, which began on a sluggish note at 18,374 booths spread over 10 districts, picked up as the day progressed, with state election officials putting the overall turnout at around 56 per cent.
As many as 1,018 candidates were in the fray for elections held in Amethi and Rae Bareli, pocket boroughs of the Nehru-Gandhi family, CSM Nagar, Sultanpur, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar and Naxal-hit areas of Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra.
The remaining phases of polling for the 403-strong Assembly will be held on February 19, 23, 28 and March 3. Counting of votes will take place on March 6.
The first phase of polling on February 8 in 55 constituencies in 10 districts had recorded around a 63 per cent turnout while the voting percentage in the second phase on February 11 for 59 seats spread over nine districts was 59 per cent.
Till late afternoon, Sultanpur district had recorded a maximum of 50 per cent polling, whereas 44.88 per cent was registered in Jaunpur.
"Voting began at 7 am for the third phase of assembly elections and 47.05 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm," Election Commission officials said here. Among other districts, CSM Nagar recorded 47 per cent, Kaushambi 47 per cent, Varanasi 46.62 per cent, Bhadoi 47 per cent and Sonbhadra 46 per cent till about two hours before close of polling.
In this phase, at least 121 candidates with criminal background and as many as 48 'crorepatis' were in the fray. A total of 2,025 polling stations were identified as sensitive and 1,766 as hyper sensitive.
Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said that 1,122 video cameras and 1,190 digital cameras were pressed into service to maintain a vigil on the poll process.
Stakes are high for the ruling BSP, Congress, SP and the BJP in the no-holds-barred fight for the assembly seats.
In the third phase, the fate of cabinet ministers Indrajit Saroj (Manjhanpur), Nand Gopal Gupta alias Nandi (Allahabad South) and Dharmaraj Nishad (Shahganj) and minister of state Vinod Singh (Lambhua) would be sealed.
Former secondary education minister Rangnath Mishra is contesting from the Mirzapur Sadar seat on a BSP ticket, whereas sacked higher education minister Rakesh Dhar Tripathi is in the fray as an independent from Handiya seat in Allahabad.
Two BJP heavyweights, Legislative Party Leader Om Prakash Singh and former Assembly Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi are contesting from the Chunar and Allahabad South seat respectively.
Shekhar Bahuguna, brother of state Congress president, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, is in the fray for the Phaphamau seat in Allahabad, whereas Ujjwal Rama Singh, son of SP MP and former Minister Reoti Raman Singh, is contesting from the Karchana seat.
The fate of sitting Congress MLA Amita Singh and National General Secretary of Apna Dal, Anupriya Patel, would also be decided in this phase apart from a number of heavyweights.
Former MP and accused in several cases Ateeq Ahmad is the Apna Dal candidate from the Allahabad West seat. Brijesh Singh, an alleged mafia don, is in the fray from the Syedraza seat in Chandauli district as Pragatisheel Manav Samaj's candidate.
Accused in several shootouts, Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi - currently lodged in Tihar Jail - is contesting as an Apna Dal candidate from the Madiyahon seat in Jaunpur district.
SP MLA Vijay Mishra, who is currently lodged in jail in connection with the attack on Cabinet Minister Nand Gopal Gupta alias Nandi, is seeking re-election from Gyanpur seat in Bhadoi district.
Jagriti Singh, wife of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh - lodged in jail in a double murder case - is contesting from Malhani seat in Jaunpur district as an independent candidate.
Other prominent candidates include six-time MLA from Varanasi South, Shyam Dev Rai Chaudhary (BJP), five-time MLA from Malhani and two-time MP Parasnath Yadav (SP) and former bureaucrat Rajendra Pandey (SP) from Manjhwa seat in Mirzapur district.
In the assembly elections held in 2007, the third phase had covered 52 seats, of which BSP won 31, SP 11, BJP 6, Congress 3 and independent one. In this phase, 42.6 per cent polling was recorded.
The incident-free third phase of the seven-part elections in the state will decide the fate of three cabinet ministers, a minister of state, 29 sitting MLAs and 14 former ministers.
The polling, which began on a sluggish note at 18,374 booths spread over 10 districts, picked up as the day progressed, with state election officials putting the overall turnout at around 56 per cent.
As many as 1,018 candidates were in the fray for elections held in Amethi and Rae Bareli, pocket boroughs of the Nehru-Gandhi family, CSM Nagar, Sultanpur, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar and Naxal-hit areas of Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra.
The remaining phases of polling for the 403-strong Assembly will be held on February 19, 23, 28 and March 3. Counting of votes will take place on March 6.
The first phase of polling on February 8 in 55 constituencies in 10 districts had recorded around a 63 per cent turnout while the voting percentage in the second phase on February 11 for 59 seats spread over nine districts was 59 per cent.
Till late afternoon, Sultanpur district had recorded a maximum of 50 per cent polling, whereas 44.88 per cent was registered in Jaunpur.
"Voting began at 7 am for the third phase of assembly elections and 47.05 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm," Election Commission officials said here. Among other districts, CSM Nagar recorded 47 per cent, Kaushambi 47 per cent, Varanasi 46.62 per cent, Bhadoi 47 per cent and Sonbhadra 46 per cent till about two hours before close of polling.
In this phase, at least 121 candidates with criminal background and as many as 48 'crorepatis' were in the fray. A total of 2,025 polling stations were identified as sensitive and 1,766 as hyper sensitive.
Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said that 1,122 video cameras and 1,190 digital cameras were pressed into service to maintain a vigil on the poll process.
Stakes are high for the ruling BSP, Congress, SP and the BJP in the no-holds-barred fight for the assembly seats.
In the third phase, the fate of cabinet ministers Indrajit Saroj (Manjhanpur), Nand Gopal Gupta alias Nandi (Allahabad South) and Dharmaraj Nishad (Shahganj) and minister of state Vinod Singh (Lambhua) would be sealed.
Former secondary education minister Rangnath Mishra is contesting from the Mirzapur Sadar seat on a BSP ticket, whereas sacked higher education minister Rakesh Dhar Tripathi is in the fray as an independent from Handiya seat in Allahabad.
Two BJP heavyweights, Legislative Party Leader Om Prakash Singh and former Assembly Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi are contesting from the Chunar and Allahabad South seat respectively.
Shekhar Bahuguna, brother of state Congress president, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, is in the fray for the Phaphamau seat in Allahabad, whereas Ujjwal Rama Singh, son of SP MP and former Minister Reoti Raman Singh, is contesting from the Karchana seat.
The fate of sitting Congress MLA Amita Singh and National General Secretary of Apna Dal, Anupriya Patel, would also be decided in this phase apart from a number of heavyweights.
Former MP and accused in several cases Ateeq Ahmad is the Apna Dal candidate from the Allahabad West seat. Brijesh Singh, an alleged mafia don, is in the fray from the Syedraza seat in Chandauli district as Pragatisheel Manav Samaj's candidate.
Accused in several shootouts, Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi - currently lodged in Tihar Jail - is contesting as an Apna Dal candidate from the Madiyahon seat in Jaunpur district.
SP MLA Vijay Mishra, who is currently lodged in jail in connection with the attack on Cabinet Minister Nand Gopal Gupta alias Nandi, is seeking re-election from Gyanpur seat in Bhadoi district.
Jagriti Singh, wife of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh - lodged in jail in a double murder case - is contesting from Malhani seat in Jaunpur district as an independent candidate.
Other prominent candidates include six-time MLA from Varanasi South, Shyam Dev Rai Chaudhary (BJP), five-time MLA from Malhani and two-time MP Parasnath Yadav (SP) and former bureaucrat Rajendra Pandey (SP) from Manjhwa seat in Mirzapur district.
In the assembly elections held in 2007, the third phase had covered 52 seats, of which BSP won 31, SP 11, BJP 6, Congress 3 and independent one. In this phase, 42.6 per cent polling was recorded.
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