The Election Commission of India today announced that Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said that the seven-phased UP Assembly polls for 403 constituencies will be held on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8. Counting of votes will be held on March 11.
With the announcement of polling dates, the Model Code of Conduct comes into force with immediate effect.
The maximum limit for expenses for each candidates in Uttar Pradesh is Rs 28 lakh.
Total number of seats: 403 (Reserved for SC – 84 | Reserved for ST – 2)
99.70 per cent Electors Photo Identity Cards coverage in UP.
Number of polling stations – 1,47,148
Phase 1 – 73 seats in 15 districts (Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj)
Date of notification on Jan 17
Las date of filing nomination Jan 24
Scrutiny on Jan 15
Withdrawal of candidature on Jan 27
Polling on Feb 11
Phase 2 – 67 seats in 11 districts (Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Badaun)
Date of notification on Jan 20
Las date of filing nomination Jan 27
Scrutiny on Jan 28
Withdrawal of candidature on Jan 30
Polling on Feb 15
Phase 3 – 69 seats in 12 districts (Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki, Sitapur)
Date of notification on Jan 24
Las date of filing nomination Jan 31
Scrutiny on Feb 2
Withdrawal of candidature on Feb 4
Polling on Feb 19
Phase 4 – 53 seats in 12 districts (Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Banda, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur, Rae Bareli)
Date of notification on Jan 30
Las date of filing nomination Feb 6
Scrutiny on Feb 7
Withdrawal of candidature on Feb 9
Polling on Feb 23
Phase 5 – 52 seats in 11 districts (Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi, Sultanpur)
Date of notification on Feb 2
Las date of filing nomination Feb 9
Scrutiny on Feb 11
Withdrawal of candidature on Feb 13
Polling on Feb 27
Phase 6 – 49 seats in 7 districts (Maharajganj, Kushi Nagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia)
Date of notification on Feb 8
Las date of filing nomination Feb 15
Scrutiny on Feb 16
Withdrawal of candidature on Feb 18
Polling on Feb March 4
Phase 7 – 40 seats in 7 districts (Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra, Jaunpur)
Date of notification on Feb 11
Las date of filing nomination Feb 18
Scrutiny on Feb 20
Withdrawal of candidature on Feb 22
Polling on March 8
The main players in the most populous state include the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
While the ruling Samajwadi Party is looking to bag another term, the Congress wants to be the kingmaker this time.
The grand old party had secured just two seats in the last Lok Sabha elections with party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi emerging victorious from their traditional seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi, respectively.
The Congress is in political wilderness in Uttar Pradesh since 1989 following emergence of divisive ‘Mandal-Mandir’ politics and rise of the BSP, which took away its crucial Dalit vote base.
The BSP, the third largest political party in the country, has 80 MLAs in the Assembly. They party is desperate to return to power.
The BJP, which had bagged 72 of the 80 seats Lok Sabha seats in 2014, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure its return to the power in the state. It knows very well that to win in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party must perform in the politically crucial state this year.
