Polling concludes for 6th phase of assembly elections in UP; Campaigning ends for 2nd & final phase of assembly polls in Manipur

Voting concluded peacefully for the sixth phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh today. An average of 53.31 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 PM. 57 constituencies spread over 10 districts went to polls in this phase. The districts where elections were held today are Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Basti, Sant Kabirnagar, Ambedkarnagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria and Ballia. AIR correspondent reports, in the wake of the Covid pandemic, elaborate arrangements were made for free, fair and corona-safe polling. People enthusiastically voted in this phase. Long queues were seen from early morning at the polling booths. Voters came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. This phase has decided the political fate of 6 hundred and 76 candidates including ministers of the state government like Surya Pratap Shahi, Jai Pratap Singh, Satish Chandra Dwivedi and Upendra Tiwari. All eyes in this phase are centred at Gorakhpur city seat from where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is contesting assembly election for the first time. Other prominent candidates in this phase include Samajwadi Party leaders Swami Prasad Maurya, Ram Govind Chaudhary, Ram Achal Rajbhar, Lalji Verma and Congress' state chief Ajay Kumar Lallu. This phase is also seen as a test of the alliance partners of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. Nishad Party and Apna Dal Sonelal have sided with BJP and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is with Samajwadi Party in this election. In Manipur, the Silence Period of second phase polls in the State has started from four of this evening. The political parties try their best to woo the voters of 22 assembly constituencies of ten districts with different election campaigning till the last hours of campaigning. The polling for second phase polls in Manipur will be conducted at 1247 polling stations on March 5. Ninety two candidates including two women candidates are in fray in this phase. More than eight thousand thirty eight candidates including thirty eight thousand six hundred first time voters will decide the fate of these candidates. The polling officials and security personnel detailed for the far flung and interior areas have started journey from district headquarters to the concerned polling stations to perform their duties. Among the twenty two assembly constituencies, eleven Schedule Tribe constituencies are spread over seven hill districts of Manipur. More than 300 companies of para military force have been deployed to conduct free and fair elections and borders including inter-districts borders have been sealed to avoid unwanted incident during the polls. Some of the prominent candidates in the second phase polls are former Chief Minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi, former Deputy CM and Congress leader Gaikhangam, Ministers Awangbow Newmai and Losii Dikho etc. Two assembly constituencies- Nungba (ST) and Chandel (ST) will have straight fight in second phase polls.