Polling begins for sixth phase in UP, first phase in Manipur Assembly elections

Polling for the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017 began this morning.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for electorates at 17,926 polling booths across 49 Assembly seats.

This phase of polling will also cover districts bordering Nepal. The Indo-Nepal border was, hence, sealed a day before the election process began.

The districts going to polls are Mau, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Ballia and Azamgarh. Around 1.72 crore voters, with 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, will decide the fate of 635 candidates.

The political fate of leaders like Union Minister Kalraj Mishra and firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath is at stake in this crucial phase of polls.

The Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) has fielded candidates on all 49 seats. Under their alliance, the Samajwadi Party is contesting 40 seats and the Congress 9 seats.

Polling has also begun for the first phase of elections in Manipur, slated to cover 38 constituencies for which 1,643 polling stations have been set up. 168 candidates will contest in this phase.

In the run-up to the polls, the political parties focussed primarily on the continuing economic blockade in their campaigns.

The fate of Irom Sharmila, who broke her 16-year fast last year and founded a party 'Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance' in order to get the AFSPA repealed, will also be decided in this phase.

Polling will end at 5 p.m.