13 LS seats in UP to vote in fourth phase Monday

Thirteen constituencies of politically crucial Uttar Pradesh will vote Monday in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election in which 2.38 crore people will exercise their franchise.

Key political figures like Dimple Yadav, former Union ministers Salman Khurshid (Farrukhabd) and Sriprakash Jaiswal (Kanpur) of Congress, UP Cabinet minister Satyadev Pachauri (Kanpur), Sakshi Maharaj of BJP (Unnao) and Annu Tandon of Congress (Unnao) will test their electoral fortune in this phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state.

The seats which will go to polls are Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, barring Kannauj, the BJP had registered wins on rest of the 12 seats. Kannauj was won by Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav.

On four of the seats going to polls in this phase --Shahjahanpur (SC), Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC) and Etawah-- the BJP dropped its sitting MPs. Former Union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi (Kanpur) and Uma Bharti (Jhansi) are also not in the fray this time.

The SP-BSP alliance has fielded six BSP candidates and seven SP candidates. While the BSP is contesting from Shahjahanpur (SC), Misrikh (SC), Farrukhabad, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC) and Hamirpur, the SP has fielded candidates from Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Unnao, Etawah, Kannauj, Kanpur and Jhansi.

The Congress has fielded candidates from 12 parliamentary constituencies, and it is not in the fray from Kannauj.

In Etawah, MP Ashok Kumar Dohare was dropped by the BJP and he was given ticket by the Congress. The BJP has fielded Ram Shankar Katheria, who was the sitting MP from Agra (SC). Katheria is also the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

Three Lok Sabha seats of Bundelkhannd -- Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamipur -- will also vote on Monday. The fourth seat Banda will go to polls in the fifth phase on May 6.

As many as 2,38,88,367 (2.38 crore) voters are likely to exercise their voting rights at 27,513 polling booths located in 17,011 polling centres.

The last day of campaigning Saturday saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi slamming the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, and saying the tie-up of "opportunists" wants a helpless government because its mantra is "jaat, paat japna, janata ka maal apna".

Modi addressed election rallies in Kannauj, a SP stronghold, Hardoi and Sitapur. Dubbing the alliance as 'mahamilavati (highly adulterated) and opportunists', he said in Kannauj that he does not believe in politics of caste.

"Mayawatiji (BSP chief), I am most backward... I request with folded hands not to drag me into caste politics, 130 crore people are my family," he said.

In addition to the 13 Lok Sabha seats, voting will also take place for bypolls to Nighasan assembly constituency on Monday.

Bye-elections to Nighasan assembly constituency have been necessitated following the death of BJP MLA Patel Ram Kumar Verma.

Verma had died in September 2018 at a hospital in Lucknow after prolonged illness. He was 64.