UP records 57% in 4th phase Assembly elections, Lucknow registers 56% polling; process peaceful in state’s badlands too
The fourth phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh assembly election clocked 57 per cent voting that saw 139 crorepatis among others contesting across 56 constituencies, many of which were either in backward regions or belts known for lawlessness. There were no untoward incidents reported.
Lucknow, which had the dubious distinction of low voter turnout in previous assembly polls, posted about 42 per cent higher voting on Sunday at 51 per cent compared to the 2007 Assembly poll.
Lucknow had registered voting percentages of merely 36 per cent and 42 per cent in the 2007 and 2002 Assembly polls respectively.
After recent delimitation, Lucknow, a stronghold of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), now has nine Assembly constituencies.
Overall, in the fourth phase, the polling started on a steady note. By 9 am, 8.66 per cent voting was recorded. It rose 22 per cent and 36 per cent by 1100 am and 1 pm respectively. By 3 pm, the voting percentage had touched 48 per cent, and an hour later the percentage was 53. The final settled around 57 per cent at the end of polling, official sources said.
The polling in 11 districts comprising central and Bundelkhand regions — Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar, Rae Bareli, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Banda, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh and Fatehpur.
This phase has a total of 967 candidates contesting. Of them, 875 are men. The electorate totals 17.4 million.
In the last (2007) assembly polls in the state, it was Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) that bagged the maximum (25 seats) in these 56 constituencies. Following it was Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (14). The Bharatiya Janata Party pocketed 7, while the Congress won in seven seats.
On Sunday, the fourth phase of the polls sealed the fate of several heavyweights, including three state ministers, 32 sitting legislators and 12 former ministers. Among the keenly observed constituencies that went to the polls on Sunday was Rae Bareli — a traditional stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Those who had hit the campaign trail ahead of the polls were members of the family, comprising Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The prominent candidates in the fray include BJP national vice-president Kalraj Mishra and UP Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna Joshi. 'Gulabi Gang' leader Sampat Pal, a women empowerment figure, is fighting as Congress nominee from Bundelkhand region.
Other prominent candidates in fray are union law minister Salman Khurshid's wife Louis Khurshid, Congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tiwari, state urban development minister Nakul Dubey, Lucknow member of Parliament Lalji Tandon's son Ashutosh Tandon (called Gopalji), sitting legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya and Veer Singh Patel, son of slain bandit Dadua.
The country's most populous state is witnessing a seven-phase polling that began earlier this month -- starting February 8. The coming dates of polls are February 23, 28 and March 3. The counting would start on March 6. That is applicable to four more states that went to the -- Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
