Voting begins for 13 LS seats in UP fourth phase

As the election juggernaut entered the Bundelkhand and central region of Uttar Pradesh, the politically sensitive state on Monday saw Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Mishrikh, Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur vote in the fourth phase.

Barring Kannauj, Bharatiya Janata Party had won all the seats in 2014 elections.

Former Union Ministers and Congress leaders Salman Khurshid is contesting from Farrukhabd and Sriprakash Jaiswal from Kanpur, while Dimple Yadav is seeking re-election from Kannauj.

BJP's Sakshi Maharaj is fighting from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh Minister Satyadev Pachauri is also contesting from Kanpur after the party dropped sitting MP and veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.

A total electorate of 2.38 crore is eligible to exercise their franchise at 27,513 polling booths where polling has been underway since 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m.

The BJP has dropped four of its sitting MPs from Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Mishrikh and Etawah.

The SP-BSP alliance has fielded six BSP candidates and seven SP candidates. The Congress has fielded candidates from 12 parliamentary constituencies, and it is not in the fray from Kannauj.

--IANS

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