Elections in Uttar Pradesh are likely to be held in nine phases this time.
This is the first time that polls will be held in nine phases. In 2007, polls were held in seven phases.
According to sources in the Election Commission, the nine-phase plan has been made to ensure better policing and more effective deployment of available security personnel.
“We do not want even a single booth to be left unattended this time and the focus will be on better and more effective policing. Because of delimitation, there is also bound to be some confusion among voters on the polling day. We need extra manpower to deal with the situation and this is possible only in the nine-phase election,” the official explained.
However, political parties are not very inclined to a multi-phased election in the state and feel that prolonged election process means prolonged campaigning and this set in poll fatigue — both in candidates and among voters.
The EC is still undecided about the timing of polls in UP. “Polls have to be held in Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab in February whereas we have till April for UP. If the centre can provide us adequate security personnel, we can have polls in UP along with other states but if not, we will have to opt for April-May elections,” the official said.
Most of the political parties in UP have preferred elections in February because the heat gets unbearable in April and adversely effects campaigning and voter turnout. Besides, board examinations are held during this time and the harvesting season is also on in full swing.