The first phase of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh (UP), earlier scheduled to be held on February 4, had been pushed further and a fresh date would be announced soon, the Election Commission said today, citing uncertainty about the date of ‘Barawafat’ festival, the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, which may also fall on the same day.
The poll panel said the law and order enforcing agencies and District Election Officers of the state had also referred to the possibility of the Barawafat festival coinciding with the first phase of polls, during the commission’s two-day review meeting in Lucknow last week.