New Delhi: It's the seventh and final phase of Assembly elections on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh. The Eastern part of the state, with 59 seats, goes to the polls.
There are 934 contestants who will vie for the votes of 1.8 crore voters. The seats are spread across nine districts.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the crucial seventh phase. Inter-state borders with Bihar and Jharkhand and international borders with Nepal were sealed on Sunday evening for security reasons.
The Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) have been conducting flag marches in all the sensitive districts, while security forces have started reaching polling booths.
Altogether 637 companies of Central forces along with 73 companies of PAC besides 10,000-strong state police would be deployed for free and fair polling.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has deployed eight special observers in five districts, out of the total nine, where the last phase of Assembly polls is scheduled.
Some of the key contenders in the final phase are:
- UP Revenue Minister, Ambika Chaudhary, who is contesting on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Kopachit.
- UP Handloom Minister Harishankar Tiwari is contesting on Akhil Bhartiya Loktantrik Congress ticket from Chillupar.
- Contesting from jail is Mukhtar Ansari as an independent candidate from Mau.
- UP Congress spokesperson, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, is contesting from Rudrapur.
- And the controversial former UP minister, Amar Mani Tripathi, is contesting on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Lakshmipur.
In the 2002 elections, the Samajwadi Party had won 21 seats, the BJP won 10 seats, BSP had won 17 and the Congress had won four seats. Others had held seven seats.
Counting of votes will take place on May 11 and the new Assembly is to be constituted before May 13 when the term of the present Assembly expires.
(With inputs from UNI)
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