The campaigning for second phase of UP Assembly polls across the communally sensitive Ruhelkhand region of west UP, ended on Monday evening where polling would be held on 67 Assembly segments on February 15.
The second phase covers some sensitive districts like Bijnore, Sambhal, Rampur, Moradabad, Bareilly and Badaun. The phase is set to witness a triangular contest between the BJP-BSP and the SP-Congress alliance where many seats are dominated by the minority community.
Muslim votes would be crucial for every party in this phase as around 70 per cent of the seats have Muslim population exceeding 30 per cent. Rampur City segment has over 70 per cent Muslim population.
Aiming to woo Muslims, major parties have fielded at least 64 Muslims candidates and in 15 seats all candidates of SP-Congress, BSP and RlD are Muslims. In 2012 Assembly elections, of the 67 seats SP had won 34, BSP 18, BJP 10, Congress 3 and Others 2.
There are 721 candidates in the fray in this phase in which around 15 per cent have criminal cases and 36 per cent are multi-millionaires.
Poll issues like law and order and development dominated the campaigning by different parties. Recent murder of a Jat youth has created communal tension in Bijnore and is likely to affect polling in the district.
The VIP seats in this phase are Amroha where cabinet minister Mahboob Ali is locked in a triangular contest, while in Deoband seat of Saharanpur sitting Congress candidate Mavia Ali is contesting as a SP candidate. BJP legislature party leader and seven times MlA since 1989, Suresh Kumar Khanna is once again in the fray from Sahajahanpur (Sadar) seat,
Congress leader Imran Masood is contesting from Nakud seat of Saharanpur while senior Congress leader and former Union minister Jitin Prasada is contesting from Tilhar seat of Shahjahanpur. Prasada is contesting the assembly elections for the first time, after being an MP from Dhaurara twice.
However the most interesting contest is likely in Rampur where senior SP leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah are locked in tough contests. Azam Khan, a seven time MlA from Rampur, is contesting from the same seat, while his son Abdullah is making his electoral debut from Swar Tanda seat and is pitted against Nawab Kazim Ali Khan of BSP.
Though Muslim voters would be the deciding factor in many seats, their votes are likely to be split among Rashtriya lok Dal, small Muslim outfits and SP-Congress alliance and BSP.
The second phase of polling would be held in these Assembly segments —Behat, Nakur, Saharnapur Nagar, Saharanpur, Deoband, Rampur Maniharan (SC), Gangoh, Najibabad, Nagina (SC), Barhapur, Dhampur, Nehtaur (SC), Bijnoir, Chandpur, Noorpur, Kanth, Thakurdwada, Moradabad Rural, Moradabad Nagar, Kundarki, Bilari, Chandausi (SC), Asmoli, Sambhal, Gunnaur, and Swar Tanda.
Other Assembly seats include Chamraua, Bilaspur, Rampur, Milak (SC), Baheri, Meerganj, Bhojipura, Nawabganj, Faridpur (SC), Bithari Chainpur, Bareilly, Bareilly Cantt, Aonla, Dhanaura (SC), Naugawan Sadat, Amroha, Hasanpur, Pilibhit, Barkhera, Puranpur (SC), Bisalpur, Palia, Nighasan, Gola Gokarannath, Sri Naragar (SC), Dhaurahra (SC), lakhimpur, Kasta (SC), Mohammdi, Katra, Jalalabad, Tilhar, Powayan (SC), Shahjahanpur, Dadraul, Bisauli(SC), Shahaswan, Bilsi, Badaun, Shekhupur and Dataganj.