UP Elections 2012: Polling Starts for Final Phase

Voting began for the seventh and final phase of the staggered assembly elections in India’s politically most vital state Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

In Uttar Pradesh, voting began at 7 am for 60 assembly seats spread across 10 districts and is set to continue till 5 pm.

More than 1.82 crore voters (men 10,024,588, women 8,201,987 and others 706) will decide the fate of 962 candidates, including 100 women, in the fray.

The main political parties contesting in this phase are the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party.

The Election Commission has set up 18,957 polling stations, equipped with 48,533 electronic voting machines.

This phase of voting covers regions of Bijnore, Moradabad, Bheem Nagar, Rampur, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Badaun, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri.

The assembly constituencies with maximum number of candidates are Bithari Chainpur and Bareilly Cantt, both in Bareilly district, with 27 in the fray while Gunnaur with seven candidates is the constituency with minimum number.

The counting of votes has been scheduled for March 6.