Multi-corner contests amid Covid norms in UP bypolls today
88 candidates in fray, 24.34 lakh voters eligible to vote in seven assembly constituencies
The stage is set for multi-corner contests in the by-elections to seven assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday (November 3) amid directives to implement the Covid-19 guidelines strictly during voting.
Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said 24.34 lakh voters, including 13.03 lakh men, 11.30 lakh women and 130 trans-genders, will decide the fate of 88 candidates, including nine women, in the bypolls. The votes will be counted on November 10.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress candidates are in the fray in all the seven constituencies — Naugawan Sadat (Amroha), Bulandshahr, Tundla (Firozabad), Bangarmau
The EC has made elaborate arrangements for impartial and peaceful polling.
(Unnao), Ghatampur (Kanpur), Deoria and Malhani (Jaunpur). Even while the campaigning ended on Sunday, the leaders of various political parties held press conferences and released press statements to woo the voters on Monday.
Shukla said the Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate arrangements for impartial and peaceful polling.
Polling will begin at 7am and continue till 6pm. Returning officers have been directed to
implement Covid-19 guidelines strictly during the polling. Polling personnel have been equipped with protective gear, thermal scanners, face shields, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, gloves and sanitizer, he said.
Voters will be subjected to thermal scanning and a voter guide will be distributed at the polling stations on the dos and don’ts in view of the Covid pandemic, he said. The Election Commission has set up 3,655
polling stations and 1,755 polling centres in the seven assembly segments.
In view of the Covid pandemic, a maximum of 1,000 voters will vote at a polling station.
In all, 5,127 EVM (electronic voting machine) control units, 6,710 EVM ballot units and 5,492 VVPAT (voter verified paper audit trail) machines will be used in the polling.
The Election Commission has deployed central para military forces, appointed seven general observers, seven expenditure observers, 310 sector magistrates, 46 zonal magistrates, 76 static magistrates, 333 micro-observers for conducting peaceful and impartial polling, Shukla said. The Election Commission will also conduct webcasting of polling at 371 critical booths in the seven assembly constituencies, he said.
The highest number of candidates, 18, are in fray in Bulandshahar, 16 in Malhani, 14 each in Deoria and Naugawan Sadat, 10 each in Tundla and Bangarmau and six in Ghatampur.
The Naugawan Sadat, Ghatampur, Bulandshahar, Deoria and Malhani seats fell vacant after the death of sitting MLAs Chetan Chauhan, Kamal Rani Varun, Virendra Singh Sirohi, Janmejai Singh and Prasanath Yadav respectively.
Bangarmau assembly seat in Unnao district fell vacant after the disqualification of the then sitting MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar following his conviction in a rape case on December 20, 2019.
While six of these seats were held by the BJP, the SP bagged one seat in the 2017 assembly election.