Elaborate security has been made for the VVIP fourth phase polling in Uttar Pradesh where 14 lok Sabha seats will go to polls on Wednesday. Flag marches are being conducted to instill confidence among the voters in all the 14 constituencies while all the polling booths would be manned by armed policemen.
In this phase, number of security personnel to be deployed is over 1, 35, 000 in which 168 companies are central forces. Special security has been made in the dacoit infested Chitrakoot-Banda districts adjoining Madhya Pradesh on the Chambal ravines. Beside security has been tightened in communally sensitive Kanpur and lucknow districts.Congress president Sonia Gandhi( Rae Bareli), BJP president Rajnath Singh and Reeta Bahuguna Joshi (both lucknow), Union Coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi(both Kanpur), Union Minister of state for Rural Development Pradeep Jain Aditya and BJP’s Sadhvi Uma Bharati( both Jhansi),Chairman of the Schedule Caste Commission and Congress candidate P l Punia( Barabanki), BJP candidate Shakshi Maharaj( Unnao) and Union minister of state for Human Resources development Jitin Prasada were among the prominent politicians among the 233 candidates whose fate would be decided in this phase.
There are over 2.46 crore voters in the fourth phase of which 1.13 crore are males and 1, 12 crores are females.There are 25,380 polling booths in this phase.UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umesh Sinha said here on Thursday that to ensure free and fair elections, they had put 14 general observers, 14 expenditure observers, along with four police observers and 8913 micro observers in this phase. The Commission has deployed 109641 polling personnel to conduct smooth polling which would start from 7am and end at 6pm. Sinha said all poll parties have started going to their respective booths.
Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police(law and Order)Mukul Goel said here on Tuesday that all arrangements for holding free and fair polls have been completed.
Kanpur will be most communally sensitive constituency while lucknow with 3237 polling station tops the list of highest number of booths followed by 3000 polling stations in Sitapur and 2186 in Unnao. In this phase, Bahujan samaj Party’s supremo Mayawati reqested Election Commission to deploy central forces in all the polling booth as she apprehended rigging by SP’s goons and that government machinery would only facilitate the ruling Party’s candidates. In Banda from where listed dacoit king of ravines Shiv kumar alias Daduwa’s brother Bal Kumar Patel is contesting on Samajwadi Party’s ticket, only eight companies of CPMF and two companies of PAC along with 250 sub-inspectors (SIs), 310 head-constables (HCs) and 2550 constables along with 3000 jawans of Home Guards were deployed even when almost all the parties accused the ruling Party’s contestants of not just using his families terror in the area but alleged that the government machinery is also facilitating his march towards the Parliament.
The tightest security has been made in lucknow district which holds two Parliament constituencies. A total of 22 companies of CPMF, 8 companies of PAC, 800 SIs, 710 HCs and 5250 constables were deployed along with 7600 home guards to assist the local police in lucknow. To conduct smooth polling in Rae Bareli, where Congress president is trying to save her bastion, government pushed in nine companies of CPMF, four companies of PAC, 230 SIs,, 350 HCs, 3360 constables besides 3800 home guards.
Similarly, in Barabanki, Fatehpur, 11 companies of CPMF, 4 companies of PAC, 255 SIs, 400 HCs and 3780 constables along with 4300 home guards would man polling centres as well as routes leading to them in each of the districts. In Chitrakot, another seat on which Daduwa’s kin and gang members still holds a ‘terror’ amongst the minds of people, government provided just five companies of CPMF and two companies of PAC, along with 140 Sis, 140 HCs, 1750 constables and 1815 home guards to ensure smooth law and order during polls.
In Sitapur, which also holds two of the Parliament constituencies, 25 companies of reserved force which included 18 CPMF will be accompanied by 380 Sis, 550 HCs, 6310 constables and 7505 home guards. Similar deployment has been also made in Kanpur Nagar, which also covers a big part of Akbarpur constituency. The force deployment in Kanpur and a little part of Kanpur dehat will be 15 companies of CPMF, 7 companies of PAC, 545 Sis, 550 HCs, 3000 constables and 5500 home guards. In Unnao, from where Congress’s Anu Tandon is pitted against powerful contestants of all three other parties,18 companies of reserved forces which included 13 companies of CPMF, have been deployed along with 330 SIs, 440 HCs, 4535 constables and 5030 home guards.
In Mahoba district, five companies of CPMF, two of PAC along with 120 SIs, 165 HCs, 1500 constables and 1680 home guards have been deployed to maintain peace. In lalitpur and lakhimpur Kheri districts, 10 companies of reserved force in each of the districts along with over 4550 police personal have been deployed. In Jhansi, from where firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharti, is pitted against congress’s candidate Pradeep Jain Aditya, who is minister in Central government, 16 companies including a dozen of CPMF, besides 315 SIs, 360 HCs, 3040 constables and 3725 home guards would ensure law and order.
likewise in Hardoi district, 10 companies which included seven of CMPF will be deployed to maintain peace along with 158 Sis, 229 HCs, 2350 constables and 1855 home guards personnel. In Hamirpur district also, seven companies of reserved force which included two of PAC along with 165 Sis, 202 HCs, 1640 constables, 1975 home guards will be deployed to conduct smooth polling. The fourth phase of elections had witnessed the most hectic campaigning by the political parties and the Congress, BJP, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have left no stone unturned to woo the voters. On the last day of campaigning on Monday, all political parties stepped up their efforts to woo the voters specially by holding road shows to reach before maximum people at the last moment.
Campaigning in this phase of election had also esclated war of words between the BJP and Congress and the leaders bent upon hitting others below the belt with personal attacks. Several Bollywood stars like Hema Malini, Nagma, Amita Patel, Vivek Oberio, Raj Babbar, Mahesh Bhatt and others were also campaigning in the seats actively. But due to scorching heat, the campaigning has been hit by low turnout in the rural areas though the politicians are trying to reach every nook and corner of the constitutencies. lucknow has the highest number of 29 candidates in the fray followed by 21 each in Unnao and Kanpur. Jalaun has the lowest 11 candidates in the fray.
Of the 233 candidates contesting the fourth phase of lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, as many as 36 have criminal records and 73 are ‘crorepatis.11 have serious crime charges against them. The BJP has the most herculean task to improve its tally from just one seat won in last elections. In the 2009 elections, Congress won the highest six seats in this phase followed by four by the BSP, three by SP and one by the BJP. BJP, BSP and Congress have given candidates in all the 14 seats but the SP has given one short as it did not give candidature against Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli. Aam Admi Party(AAP) has also given candidates in all the 14 seats.
The seats going to poll in the fourth phase in UP are: Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Misrikh(SC), Unnao, Mohanlalganj(SC),lucknow, Rae Bareli, Kanpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda,Fatehpur and Barabanki(SC).
