Tight security measures for sensitive final leg polling in UP

Maximum number of 42 candidates are trying their luck from the high-profile Varanasi constituency which is seeing a contest between Modi, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Congress's Ajay Rai.

“The polling in Chakia, Duddhi and Rabertsganj will take place from 7 AM to 4 PM, while in rest of seats it will go on till 6 PM. Fourteen seats in this round are general while four are reserved (SC) seats,” he said.

There are 328 candidates in the fray including Modi, Kejriwal, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jagdambika Pal, Union Minister of State Home Affairs RPN Singh and Yogi Adityanath. Among them, there are 14 women candidates and two belonging to ‘others' category.

“As many as 2,232 Sector Magistrates, 276 Zonal Magistrates, 631 Static Magistrates and five Super Zonal Magistrates have been deployed to ensure smooth polling,” Sinha said.

The sensitivity of last phase of polling in the state can be understood from the fact that a voluntary group, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), has tagged 13 out of 18 seats on “Red Alert”.

The group analysed affidavits filed by 325 candidates from the area and concluded that 63 of them have criminal charges against them including those related to murder, attempt to murder, causing communal disharmony, kidnapping and crimes against women.

Qaumi Ekta Dal's candidate from Ghosi seat Mukhtar Ansari has the maximum of four charges of murder pending against him followed by Dhananjay Singh, Independent candidate from Jaunpur, who has two murder charges, it had said.  Singh and Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from Bansgaon also face rape charges on them, the ADR had said.  Seven SP candidates face criminal charges followed by the BSP which has fielded six such candidates, Congress five and BJP three.