The campaign for the seventh and the final phase of the UP state assembly election ended on Monday evening. In lat phase 40 assembly seats spread in seven districts of east UP will go to polls on March 8. Election on one seat— Alalpur in Ambedkarnagar district would be held on March 9.
With the end of the campaigning for the seventh phase at 5 pm on Monday the high-voltage electioneering for the past over one month in the entire state came to end. Election Commission had announced the poll schedule on January 4.
Counting of votes for all 403 seats will be held on March 11.
Of all the 40 seats, Varanasi hit the national headlines as the local MP and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi camped in the holy city for three days and held road show for the three days to canvass support for the party candidates. Unprecedented decision of the prime minister to stay for three days attracted flak for him from the opposition parties and also the allies of the BJP. SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also held road show in Varanasi and BSP chief Mayawati also addressed election meeting.
Political parties also focussed their attention in all seats including three Naxal-infested districts of — Mirzapur, Sonebhadra and Chandauli. Prime minister addressed election meetings in Mirzapur and Jaunpur. On the last day of the campaigning Akhilesh Yadav addressed seven meetings in Jaunpur while his wife Dimple Yadav addressed one meeting in Bhadoi district.
In the seventh phase, 1.41 crore electorate— 76.62 lakh males and 64.76 lakh females—are expected to cast their votes in 14,458 polling booths. There are 535 candidates in the fray for the last phase. Varanasi Cantonment has the highest number of 24 candidates and Kerakat seat in Jaunpur district has the lowest of just six candidates.
In the 2012 Assembly polls, out of these 40 seats, 23 went to SP, 5 to BSP, 4 to BJP, 3 to Congress and 5 to others. As many as five ministers are in the fray along with president of regional parties like Bharatiya Samaj Party which is an alliance partner of the BJP.
Prominent candidates in the phase ares Parasnath Yadav( Malhani), Shailendra Yadav( Shahganj), Omprakash Singh ( Jamania), Surendra Patel( Sevapuri) and Kailash Chaurasia( Mirzapur)—all ministers. Bharatiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar( Zahurabad), Apna Dal president Krishna Patel ( Rohania),Congress leaders Ajai Rai( Pindra), laliteshpati Tripathi( Marihan) and Nadim Javed( Jaunpur).
Some mafias and their close kin are also in the fray including Dhananjay Singh, Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Sibatullah Ansari, sharp shooter Munna Bajrangi’s wife Seema Singh, mafia don Brajesh Singh’s brother Sushil Singh and Vijay Mishra.
The seven districts going to the polls in the seventh and last phase are Ghazipur, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadoi and Sonebhadra.
Seventh phase of polling would be held in the Assembly seats of Jakhanian (SC), Saidpur (SC), Ghazipur, Jangipur, Zahoorabad, Mohammadabad, Zamania, Pindra, Ajagra (SC), Shivpur, Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt., Sevapuri, Mughalsarai, Sakaldiha, Saiyadraja, Chakiya (SC), Chhanbey (SC), Mirzapur, Majhawan, Chunar, Marihan, Bhadohi, Gyanpur, Aurai (SC), Ghorawal, Robertsganj, Obra (ST), Dudhhi (ST), Badlapur, Shahganj, Jaunpur, Malhani, Mungra Badshahpur, Machhalishahr (SC), Mariyahu, Zafrabad and Kerakat (SC).