Kanpur: A total of 59 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are headed for polls as the third phase of voting in the seven-phase election takes place on Sunday. This is the most crucial round of elections so far and will possibly etch out the political direction that the state is headed for.
Voting began at 7am and go on till 6pm. A total of 627 candidates are in the fray in the third phase, while over 20 million people are eligible to vote. The counting of votes will be held on March 10.
The districts where polling is being held are Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba.. 52 General Observers, 16 Police Observers and 19 Expenditure Observers have also been deployed by the Commission to keep an eye on the polling. Apart from this, 2235 Sector Magistrates, 273 Zonal Magistrates, 832 Static Magistrates and 3069 Micro Observers have also been deployed. In the third phase, there will be 641 model polling stations and 129 all women workers polling places. Among the key constituencies where polling will be held today include Karhal where former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting his maiden Assembly election. The BJP has pitted Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice Satya Pal Singh Baghel against Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh’s uncle and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) supremo Shivpal Singh Yadav is contesting from Jaswantnagar seat.
