Eastern UP in focus as polling enters fifth phase

The focus of assembly elections shifts to eastern Uttar Pradesh as polling in the fifth phase for 61 seats across 12 districts in the state is held on Sunday, which is likely to see a keen contest between the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and a resurgent Samajwadi Party.

Over 22 million voters will decide the fate of 692 candidates in the fray in the districts of Sultanpur, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Barabanki, Bahraich, Shravasti and Gonda.

Ayodhya, which has been in the limelight in the past five years over the building of the Ram temple, will also vote in the fifth phase. Of the 61 seats going to polls in the fifth phase of the seven-phase elections, 58 are in eastern UP. Chitrakoot, a small district with only two assembly seats in the Bundelkhand region, and Salon assembly constituency in Raebareli district in central UP will also vote on Sunday. The other five constituencies of Raebareli voted in the fourth phase on February 23.

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After polling gets over on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh will have voted on 292 of the total 403 assembly seats in the state. Polling for 111 seats, all in eastern UP, will be held in the last two phases on March 3 and March 7. The results will be announced on March 10.

The fifth phase is likely to see a see-saw battle between the BJP and the SP. In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP won 47 of the 61 seats in the fray in the fifth phase, while the SP won five, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) three, Apna Dal-S three, two independents and the Congress one each.

In 2012, the SP had won in 40 seats, Congress and BSP in seven each, and BJP five, besides two independents.

Among the big names in the fray in this phase is deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is contesting from the Sirathu assembly seat in Kaushambi district. He is facing Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) candidate Pallavi Patel.

However, the spotlight this time is on the contest in Ayodhya between sitting BJP MLA Ved Prakash and the 2012 election winner from the SP, Tej Narayan Pawan Pandey. Both parties have campaigned fiercely in the district.

Amethi, once considered a Congress bastion, will also vote on Sunday.

Other ministers in the fray are Siddharth Nath Singh from Allahabad West, Rajendra Singh, alias Moti Singh, from Patti (Pratapgarh), Nand Gopal Gupta Nadi from Allahabad South and Ramapati Shastri from Mankapur (Gonda).

Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya, who is the MLA from Kunda since 1993, is once again in the fray from his party Jansatta Dal, with old aide Gulshan Yadav contesting against him on a SP ticket.

Union minister Anupriya Patel’s mother and Apna Dal (K) leader Krishna Patel is contesting from the Pratapgarh seat. Apna Dal (K) has entered into an alliance with the SP.

“It will be very tough fights in the phases from now on for the BJP. Unlike western UP, where the SP had traditionally been weak, eastern UP is a strong area for the party and its allies,” said CP Rai, a political analyst.

At least 878 companies of central paramilitary forces and state armed police, besides over 119,000 civil police personnel, home guards and Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) jawans have been deployed for free and fair polling in the fifth phase of elections, police said.

Most numbers of sensitive constituencies and vulnerable localities are going to polls in this phase, according to Prashant Kumar, additional director general, law and order.

Deployment of forces has been done strategically for sensitive constituencies, vulnerable localities, polling centres, polling booths, and interstate and international barriers. There will also be quick response teams, flying squads and static squads to avert trouble and ensure smooth conduct of elections, Kumar said.

“There are 23 sensitive constituencies in the first phase, including Phapamau, Sauraw, Phoolpur, Handia, Meja, Karchana, Allahabad West, Allahabad South, Rampur Khas, Patti, Kunda, Babaganj, Sirathu, Manjhanpur, Gosaiganj, Kursi, Ramnagar, Dariyabad, Issauli, Lambhua, Mahsi, Payagpur and Qaiserganj,” he said. “As many as 1,119 localities are vulnerable and 4,547 polling booths are critical.”

Polling will be conducted across 14,026 polling centres with 25,974 booths under 204 police station limits of 12 districts, the police officer said.

A total of 152 pink booths have been set up for women voters and at least 20 women inspectors and sub-inspectors, as well as 295 women head constables and constables, have been deployed there, Kumar said.