An impressive 59.20 per cent turnout was recorded in the fifth phase of the UP assembly election for 49 seats spread over 13 districts on Thursday.
An impressive 59.20 per cent turnout was recorded in the fifth phase of the UP assembly election for 49 seats spread over 13 districts on Thursday. This swathe of central UP and Bundelkhand includes strongholds of two former chief ministers, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Kalyan Singh. In the 2007 assembly elections, 47.57 per cent votes were polled in these districts. The latest turnout marks a 24 per cent increase in polling over 2007 figures.
Leader of the opposition in the UP assembly Shivpal Singh Yadav and BJP leader Uma Bharti were among the 829 candidates whose electoral fate was sealed in the EVMs. This phase is particularly crucial for the Samajwadi Party (SP) as the Etawah, Mainpuri and Auraiyya districts, which are bastions of the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, were covered in this phase. This phase witnessed a keen SP-BSP battle as the BSP held the largest number of seats here in 2007 (27 out of 53).
Mulayam was camping in Etawah with his entire family who cast their votes in his parental village of Sefai.
This phase is also crucial for Rahul Gandhi as it includes a large area of the Bundelkhand region which the Congress leader has visited a number of times. “The increased voting in this region would directly benefit the Congress as Rahul ji has got a Rs8,000 crore package for Bundelkhand,” Siraj Mehdi UP Congress spokesman told reporters here.
Election Commission (EC) officials here were amazed at the record turnout in Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand, which was reported to be as high as 70.58 per cent. Chief Electoral Officeer (CEO) Umesh Sinha told reporters that this turnout was the highest anywhere in the state since the beginning of the election.
The lowest turnout in this phase was reported from Kanpur City (54.60 per cent). EC officials interpreted this turnout as routine in an urban area.
Voters boycotted polls at seven polling stations in Kanpur Nagar, Lalitpur, Etawah and Hamirpur districts over issues of lack of development and minor scuffles were reported between election officials and voters. Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi said in Delhi that polling in the fifth phase was by and large peaceful as no major incident of violence took place.
Besides, firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharati, who has made her debut in UP electoral politics, is also in the fray in this region from Charkhari seat in Mahoba district. Results in this area would also indicate the political strength of former BJP stalwart and ex-UP chief minister Kalyan Singh as this phase included his stronghold of Etah district. This is an area dominated by Lodh backwards. Interestingly, both Kalyan and Uma belong to this caste.
Another strong Lodh leader Swami Sakshi Maharaj is contesting in Bhogaon (Mainpuri district) as a BJP candidate. He is challenging the might of Mulayam Singh Yadav who is the MP from Mainpuri.
Former minister and state president of BJP’s women wing Premlata Katiyar is in the fray from Kalyanpur seat in Kanpur, a minister in the BSP government Jaiveer Singh is contesting from Karhal seat.
Among kin of political leaders, daughter of BSP state president and cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya, Sanghmitra Gautam is contesting from Aliganj in Etah district.
Similarly, Shikha Mishra, wife of former health minister Anant Kumar Mishra alias Antu, who resigned following the NRHM scam, is in the fray from Maharajpur in Kanpur district.
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