UP: 6th, biggest, poll phase today
As elections inch to a close in Uttar Pradesh, the stage is all set for the sixth and the biggest phase of elections in the state.
The sixth phase of elections on Tuesday will be held in 68 Assembly segments across 13 districts in western Uttar Pradesh, an area that has a large concentration of jats and Muslims and is popularly referred to as Jatland.
The districts where polling will be held in this phase are Saharanpur, Prabuddha Nagar, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Panchsheel Nagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mahamaya Nagar, Mathura and Agra.
The number of candidates in this phase is 1103, including 85 women candidates, and the number of eligible voters is 2.12 crores. The number of polling centres in this phase is 22,137.
After delimitation, 19 new seats have been created in this phase and 18 seats have been abolished.
Nearly 37 candidates in the sixth phase have criminal cases against their names and 58 per cent of the contestants are crorepatis.
A key contestant in this phase is Manvendra Singh Teotia, a farmer leader who allegedly provoked the farmers’ agitation in Bhatta Parsaul. Mr Teotia, who is contesting the Jewar seat in Gautam Buddha Nagar on a JD(U) ticket, is presently in jail and his family is campaigning for him.
Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements have been made for the sixth phase of polling since a sizeable number of seats in this phase fall under the communally sensitive category.
According to EC officials, two Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) will also be positioned at every police station level to meet out any emergency and the borders touching Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have been sealed to check entry of unwanted elements. Central forces are also holding “Flag Marches” in the sensitive areas to instil confidence among the voters.
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