The Election Commission of India (ECI) set the election process rolling for the second phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls on Friday with issuance of notification for 55 assembly constituencies in nine districts of Rohilkhand and west UP region.
Friday was also the last date for filing nominations for the first phase of polls to 58 assembly constituencies in 11 districts of western UP.
Ten nominations were filed for the second phase of polling on the first day on Friday.
UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ajay Kumar Shukla said here on Friday that notification for the second phase polls was issued at 11am on Friday. He said nominations in these 55 assembly constituencies had commenced, strictly following the Covid norms and guidelines issued by the ECI.
Shukla said this time, the candidates could also submit their nomination papers online. Only two persons along with the candidate would be allowed during filing of nomination physically, he added.
He said that Friday was also the last date for filing nomination papers for the first phase polls.
As many as 815 candidates have filed their nominations in the first phase.
The state will witness a keen tussle of ballots in the seven-phase elections covering 403 assembly constituencies with polling to be held between February 10 and March 7 and announcement of result on March 10.
In the second phase polling to be held on February 14, filing of nominations commenced from January 21, the last date for filing nominations is January 28, scrutiny on January 29 and last date for withdrawal is January 31.
Altogether 55 assembly constituencies will go to polls in the second phase covering nine districts of Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Sambhal, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Budaun and Shahjahanpur.
In the second phase, 2,01,42,441 voters will cast their votes in around 17,000 polling booths.
In the 2017 elections, Bharatiya Janata Party had won 40 seats of these 55 assembly seats while Samajwadi Party won 13 and Bahujan Samaj Party won 2 seats.
The assembly constituencies going to polls in the second phase are Behat, Nakhur, Saharanpur City, Saharanpur, Deoband, Rampur Maniharan (R), Gangoh, Najibabad, Nagina (R), Bijnor Chandpur, Noorpur, Kanth, Thakur Dwara, Moradabad Rural, Moradabad City, Kundarki , Bilari, Chandauli (R), Asmoli, Sambhal, Swar, Chamraua, Bilaspur, Rampur, Milak (R), Navgoa Sadat, Amroha Hasanpur, Bisauli (R), Sahavasan, Bilsi (R), Budaun, Sheikhpur, Dataganj, Baheri, Mirganj, Bhojipura, Nawabganj, Fatehpur (R), Bithari, Chainpur, Bareilly, Bareilly Cantonment, Aonla, Katra ,Jalalabad, Tilhar, Puwaya (R), Shahjahanpur and Dadraul.
Already over 120 companies of Central forces have reached UP to maintain law and order during the polls. The ECI has announced a seven-phase poll this time also like in 2017 polls though the duration has been reduced by five days. In 2017, the poll dates were announced on January 4 and results were declared on March 11.
The poll process commenced from January 14 with the issuance of notification for the first phase starting from western UP on January 14 where polling will be held on February10.