Third phase nomination process starts in UP Assembly elections

Lucknow, Jan 24: The Election Commission of India (ECI) today issued notification for the third phase of Assembly polls in 69 segments of Central Uttar Pradesh which will go to polls on February 19. With the issuance of the notification, nomination process for the third phase of election in 12 districts has commenced. The notification was issued at 1100 hrs, said UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh here today. The districts going to polls in the third phase are trouble torn areas for the ECI as districts like Etawah, Mainpuri, Kannauj, Farrukahabad and Lucknow have the record of rigging and other irregularities in the past. While the nominations for the third phase started, on the other hand today is the last date for the filing of nominations for phase one in 73 Assembly segments in West UP. The nomination process for the second phase of polls will continue till January 27. The nominations for the third phase will continue till January 31 while scrutiny of papers would be done on the next day. Candidates can withdraw their nominations till February 3. A total of 2.41-crore electorate are expected to exercise their franchise in the third phase of polling out of which 1.31-crore are male and 1.10-crore are female and 1,026 are third gender. There would be 25,603 polling booths in this phase. The third phase would be most important for the ruling Samajwadi Party as they had won 55 seats of the total 69 in 2012 elections followed by 6 of the BSP, five of BJP and two of Congress candidates. One seat was also won by Independent. The districts going to polls in the third phase are Farrukahbad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auriyya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur city, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki and Sitapur. The third phase of polling would be held in the Assembly segments of Kaimganj (SC), Amritpur, Farrukhabad, Bhojpur, Sawayazpur, Sahabad, Hardoi, Gopamau (SC), Sandi (SC), Bilgram Mallanwan, Balamau (SC), Sandila, Chhibramau, Tirwa, Kannauj (SC), Mainpuri, Bhongaon, Kishni (SC), Karhal, Jaswantnagar, Etawah, Bharthana (SC), Bidhuna, Dibiyapur, Auraiya (SC), Rasulabad (SC), Akbarpur-Raniya, Sikandra, Bhognipur, Bilhaur (SC), Bithoor, Kalyanpur, Govindnagar, Sishamau, Arya Nagar, Kidwai Nagar, Kanpur Cantt, Maharajpur, Ghatampur (SC), Bangermau, Safipur (SC), Mohan (SC), Unnao, Bhagwantnagar, Purwa, Malihabad (SC), Bakshi Ka Talab, Sarojni Nagar, Lucknow West, Lucknow North, Lucknow East, Lucknow Central, Lucknow Cantt, Mohanlalganj (SC), Kursi, Ram Nagar, Barabanki, Zaidpur (SC), Dariyabad, Rudauli, Maholi, Sitapur, Hargaon (SC), Laharpur, Biswan, Sevata, Mohmoodabad, Sidhauli (SC) and Misrikh (SC).