UP Election 2022: Over 60% voters turnout recorded in state
Polling got underway in 59 seats across 16 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the third round of Assembly elections on Sunday. The state will hold Assembly elections in seven rounds till March 7, with the results revealed on March 10.
FollowAs voting was held in 59 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the third phase across 16 districts, over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded in state.Â
As many as 627 candidates are in the fray in the phase, in which over 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote. The districts where polling is being held are Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhanshi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba.
The Karhal Assembly seat, from where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting, is also under polling in this phase. The BJP has fielded Union minister SP Singh Baghel from the seat.
Time: The third phase of the state elections is underway on February 20 in 59 seats, as voting began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
Candidates & parties in the fray: Of the key candidates in the fray are Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav from the Karhal seat where the BJP has fielded Union minister SP Singh Baghel against him. Another key candidate in the fray is Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is contesting from his traditional Jaswantnagar seat. Despiting floating his own party, he is contesting on the SP ticket after brushing aside his differences with the party chief. Former IPS officer Asim Arun is contesting from Kannauj Sadar on the BJP ticket, while Uttar Pradesh minister Ramnaresh Agnihotri is also in the fray in this phase.
Among the prominent faces in the fray in this phase are BJP’s Satish Mahana (Maharajpur in Kanpur) and Ramvir Upadhaya (Sadabad in Hathras) and Louise Khurshid, who is contesting on the Congress’ ticket from Farrukhabad Sadar.
Valid documents needed for voting: In this round, about 2.15 crore individuals can vote. Only individuals with valid identification will be able to vote. To confirm their identification, voters must present their EPIC to the polling station. If a voter does not have their EPIC card, they must provide one of the 12 alternative photo ID cards, which are – Service identification cards with photos for workers of Central and State governments – PSUs and Public Limited Companies, Passport, driving licence, PAN card, Aadhaar card, MGNREGA employment card, health insurance smart card provided under Ministry of Labour programmes, passbooks with pictures issued by banks or post offices, RGI smart card issued under NPR, pension document with photograph,
Covid protocols: The voting will occur following the Covid-19 safety standards and the instructions given by the Election Commission from time to time. While voters are obliged to wear masks, keep social distance, and use sanitiser while voting, election workers will also be provided with a Covid-19 kit to ensure a peaceful election. Thermal scanning will be performed on all individuals before they are allowed to enter the EVM room. The electoral commission may reserve the final hour of voting for Covid positive voters.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP had bagged 49 of the 59 seats while the SP had settled for nine. The Congress had got one seat.
Also read:Â UP Election 2022: Etawah, once a stronghold, now a lost cause for Congress
Also read:Â UP Election 2022: Out of 623, 135 candidates have criminal records, reveals ADR report
Also read:Â UP Election 2022: Why Mehnagar is crucial for Samajwadi Party
