With offensive acronyms being freely used to attack political rivals, campaigning for the sixth phase of Assembly elections for 49 seats covering seven districts ended on Thursday evening. Voting for this phase will take place in these segments on coming Saturday.
All senior political leaders fanend out to segements going to polls to give fi9nishing touches to their campaigning. BJP president Amid Shah held a roadshow in Gorakhpur while other leaders including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vice- president Rahul Gandhi too addressed several meetings to wind up their canvassing.
The seats going to polls in this phase are in back-of-the-beyond eat UP or Poorvanchal and is synonymous with under-development. Polling will be held in the region along Indo-Nepal border and districts sharing borders with Bihar.
There are 635 candidates in the fray for this phase, of which, 20 per cent have criminal backgrounds and 25 per cent are crorepatis.
This phase will test the political influence of Union minister and MP from Deoria Kalraj Mishra, Mahant Adityanath of Gorakhpur and Samajwadi Party patron and MP from Azamgarh Mulayam Singh Yadav.
It will also be a litmus test for the brothers and son of don-turned-politico Mokhtar Ansari in Mau and Ghazipur districts. Prominent candidates in the phase are jailed don Mokhtar Ansari from Mau, his son Abbas from Ghosi seat, former UP legislative council chairman Ganesh Shanker Pandey from Paniyara seat, former UP Assembly Speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar from Didarganj seat, former leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and now BJP candidate Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna seat, jailed Amanmani Tripathi, son of murder convict Amarmani Tripathi from Nautanwa seat, former state BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva (Deoria), ex-Governor Ram Naresh Yadav’s son Shyam Bahadur Yadav (SP) contesting from Fulpur Pawai (Azamgarh), SP turncoats Ambika Chowhdury and Narad Rai, who are in the fray from Fefna (Ballia) and Ballia Sadar on BSP tickets.
Canvassing in the phase has been at its peak with all parties trying thei best to woo voters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, led the BJP campaign and addressed meetings in Mau, Maharajganj and Deoria.
BSP president Mayawati addressed several meetings. Similarly, Samajwadi Party chief Akhikesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held a joint rally in Gorakhpur campaigning for respective candidates.
Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief lalu Prasad Yadav too campaigned in the phase as several segments in this phase border Bihar.
In the sixth phase, 1.72-crore voters includes 77.84-lakh females, will exercise their franchise at 17,926 polling booths. In 2012 polls, SP won 27 of teh 49 seats, BSP 9, BJP 7, Congress 4 while Others chipped in with 2.
Azamgarh has 10 Assembly segments, of which SP had won nine in 2012. But this time, Mulayam Singh has not addressed a single meeting in his Parliamentary constituency.
The districts going to the polls are Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau and Ballia. The seats where polling would be held are: Pharenda, Nautanwa, Siswa, Maharajganj (SC), Paniyra, Khadda, Padrauna, Tamkuhi Raj, Fazilnagar, Kushinagar, Hata, Ramkola (SC), Caimpiyarganj, Pipraich, Gorakhpur Urban, Gorakhpur Rural, Sahajanwa, Khajani (SC), Chauri Chaura, Bansgaon (SC), Chillupar, Rudrapur, Deoria, Pathardeva, Rampur Karkhana, Bhatpar Rani, Salempur (SC), Barhaj, Atrauliya, Gopalpur, Sagri, Mubarakpur, Azamgarh, Nizamabad, Phoolpur Pawai, Didarganj, lalganj (SC), Mehnagar (SC), Madhuban, Ghosi, Muhammadabad Gohna (SC), Mau, Belthara Road (SC), Rasara, Sikanderpur, Phephana, Ballia Nagar, Bansdih and Bairia.