Millions vote in fifth phase of staggered UP elections

lucknow — Millions voted on Monday in 51 assembly constituencies in the fifth phase of staggered elections in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

An estimated 52 per cent of 18 million electorates cast their votes till 4pm during the fifth phase where all eyes are set on Amethi and Faizabad.

BJP’s first timer Garima Singh is pitted against controversial minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from the ruling Samajwadi Party and Congress’ Ameeta Singh in Amethi besides 21 other candidates.

It is one of those constituencies where the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance hasn’t worked.

Amita, wife of Congress leader Sanjay Singh, hoped people would support the best candidate “and I will definitely win.”

Garima, the first wife of Sanjay, on the other hand said that there was no development in the constituency and people were facing problems.

Hundreds of thousands had also voted in Balrampur, Gonda, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Basti, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi and Sultanpur, officials said.

Faizabad is another hot seat with BJP’s Ram Temple issue once again figuring in its manifesto this time.

Ayodhya Assembly seat, which falls in Faizabad district, used to be a traditional stronghold of BJP since the Ram Temple movement days. But it was snatched by SP in 2012 and this time the saffron party is trying to wrest it back.

Voting was held in 18,822 polling booths to decide the fate of 607 candidates. Amethi has the maximum number of 24 candidates.

Election has been cancelled in Alapur in Ambedkarnagar district following the death of the Samajwadi Party candidate.

The EC has announced fresh date of voting in this constituency on March 9.

In 2012, the Samajwadi Party won 36 of the 51 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress five each, the Bahujan Samaj Party three and the Peace Party two.

A total of 262 of the 403 assembly constituencies voted in the first four rounds of the elections which began on February 11. The last two rounds of voting will take place on March 4 and 8.

The results of the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab will be known on March 11. — IANS, PTI