The process for seven-phase Assembly polls in the State commenced on Wednesday following notification of the first phase of polling by Election Commission in 15 districts of western UP. With the issuance of the notification, nominations would be accepted for the first phase of polling in 73 Assembly segments which will continue till January 24.
Only one nomination paper was filed on the first day in Mathura district. The nominations would be scrutinised on January 25 and January 27 is the last date of withdrawals of the nominations for the first phase. The polling for the first phase of elections would be held on February 11.
The polling dates of other six phases are on February 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8. Counting of votes for all the seven phases would be taken up on March 11. Chief Electoral officer (CEO) T Vekentesh said here that in the first phase of elections in the State for 73 Assembly segments, there would be 2,59,86,655 voters which includes 1,42,34,571 male along with 1,17,50,573 female and 1511 third gender voters. He said 14,514 polling booths would be used in the first phase of polling in 15 districts.
As per the EC norms, a candidate can use three vehicles in the radius of 100 meters of the office of the returning officer where they will file the nominations and only five persons including the candidate would be allowed inside the room where the nominations would be filed. The CEO said for the first time, the candidates would have to paste their photograph on the nomination papers.
The first phase of election is crucial for both the BJP and the BSP who are staking claim to form the next Government while, the ruling SP is set to go for an alliance with Congress and RlD to try to counter the other two. During the 2012 Assembly polls, SP and BSP won 24 seats each in these 73 segments while BJP won 11, Congress 5 and RlD 9.
The 15 districts for four divisional commissionaires going to polls in the first phase are Shamli, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hatras, Kasganj, Etah, Mathura, Agra and Ferozabad.
The first phase polling on February 11 would be held in the Assembly constituencies of Kairana, Thana Bhawan, Shamli, Budhana, Charthawal, Purqazi (SC), Muzaffarnagar, Khatauli, Meerapur, Chhaprauli, Baraut, Baghpat, Siwalkhas, Sardhana, Hastinapur (SC), Kithore, Meerut Cantt, Meerut, Meerut South, loni, Muradnagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modi Nagar, Noida, Dadri, Jewar, Dhaulana, Hapur (SC) and Garhmukteshwar.
Other Assembly segments where polling would be held, include Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, Syana, Anupshahr, Debai, Shikarpur, Khurja (SC), Khair (SC), Barauli, Atrauli, Chharra, Koil, Aligarh, Iglas (SC), Chhata, Maanth, Govardhan, Mathura, Baldev (SC), Hathras (SC), Sadabad, Sikandra Rao, Etmadpur, and Agra Cantt. (SC), Agra South, Agra North, Agra Rural (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Kheragarh, Fatehabad, Bah, Tundla (SC), Jasrana, Firozabad, Shikohabad, Sirsaganj, Aliganj, Etah, Marhara, Jalesar (SC), Kasganj, Amanpur and Patiyali.