UP Election: Fourth phase polling underway

Polling for 53 constituencies spread over 12 districts in Uttar Pradesh started at seven in the morning today. This phase includes 19 seats of drought-hit Bundelkhand region and five constituencies of Raebareli – Lok Sabha seat of the Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi.

The high voltage campaign for the fourth phase of UP election witnessed personal salvos between top leadership of the three parties – Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Mayawati and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Narendra Modi. While Yadav, Mayawati and Prime Minister Modi convened their rallies in Bundelkhand region, BJP chief Amit Shah and the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi carried out road show in Allahabad during the campaigning.

Around 680 candidates will try their electoral luck in the fourth phase polling. While grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Siddharth Nath Singh is contesting on the BJP ticket from Allahabad West, five-time legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya is in the fray from Kunda Assembly seat.

This is going to be another major battle for Akhilesh Yadav as the SP and the Congress Party together currently holds 30 of these 53 seats. In 2012 polls, the SP won 24, the Congress Party – six, the BSP – 15, and the BJP had clinched five seats. About 10 per cent voting was recorded till9 am in 12 districts.

Meanwhile, ANI reports that people have boycott polling in Fatehpur districts Khaga town over developmental issues. “0 vote at booths 105 & 106, 9 at booth 107 & 8 at booth 109,” an ANI tweet stated.