UP gears up for sixth phase of polling

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Polling for the sixth phase of UP assembly elections covering 68 seats spread over 13 districts would be held on Tuesday that would decide the fate of RLD's youth face Jayant Chaudhary and state Energy Minister Ramveer Upadhyaya among others.

Thirteen districts where polling would be held include Saharanpur, Prabuddha Nagar, Meerut, Bagpath, Ghaziabad, Panchsheel Nagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Mahamayanagar and Agra.

"More than 2.17 crore voters are expected to cast their votes at 22137 polling centres," the Election Commission said.

A total of 1103 candidates, including 1017 men and 86 women are in the fray in this phase. To ensure free and fair elections adequate force, including central forces, has been deployed.

All the political parties including Congress, SP, BSP, BJP and RLD have extensively campaigned in the Jat land of the state. This phase would test the popularity of Congress' alliance with Ajit Singh led Rashtriya Lok Dal which has its stronghold in the western region of the state.

It would also decide the fate of youth face of RLD Jayant Chaudhary, Energy Minister Ramveer Upadhyaya, deputy leader of BJP Legislative Party Hukkum Singh and former minister Rajveer Singh, who is also son of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

While Jayant, who is MP from Mathura is contesting from Math seat in Mathura, Energy Minister Ramveer is seeking rerun from Sikandrarau seat in Hathras district.

Ramveer's prominence would also be put to test in Sadabad and Dibai seats from where his brother-in-law Satyendra Sharma and brother Vinod Updhayaya are contesting respectively.

Ramveer's brother Vinod is pitched against Rajveer Singh, a former minister and son of ex CM Kalyan Singh.

Two more cabinet ministers Jaiveer Singh and Dharm Singh Saini are also in the fray in this phase from Barauli and Nakud seats.

Popularity of Rashid Masood, who left SP and joined Congress, would also be put to test in this phase as his nephew Imran Masood is in fray from Nakud seat in Saharanpur district.

This phase would also decide the impact of an appeal made by Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Maulana Ahmad Bukahri in favour of SP as his son-in-law Umar Ali is in the fray for Behat seat in Saharanpur district.