UP assembly polls: Sensitive Nepal border districts witness polling

Total of 51 assembly constituencies spread across 11 districts are covered in this phase

Women queue up at a polling booth in Amethi during the fifth phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Photo: PTI

Last Updated : Feb 27 2017 | 5:54 PM IST

Sensitive districts bordering near Nepal are witnessing polling in the 5th phase of the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly election, on Monday.

A total of 51 assembly constituencies spread across 11 districts of the 'terai' (Himalayan foothills) and Eastern UP regions are covered in this phase. It also included areas such as, Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabirnagar, Amethi and Sultanpur.

In his recent election rally in Gonda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed the vulnerability of border districts through infiltration by anti-national elements.

Meanwhile, Amethi and Sultanpur, apart from Rae Bareli, have been the traditional pocket boroughs of the Gandhi family with the former being represented by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.

However, over the last few elections, Gandhi's influence in these pockets is weaning away with the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) making deep inroads in some segments. This election could further weaken their hold.

In fact, SP and Congress, despite firming up a pre-poll alliance for UP poll, are locked in a 'friendly fight' in about half dozen constituencies, wherein their candidates are contesting against each other.

The most notable constituency is Amethi, where SP's Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, a state minister who is facing rape charges, is up against Congress' nominee Amita Sinh, the second wife of Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Sinh. His estranged first wife Garima Sinh is also in fray as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.

About 18.4 million electorates are eligible to cast their vote for 607 candidates in this phase across 12,791 polling centres spanning the 11 poll bound districts.

Among candidates there are several musclemen or having criminal antecedents, including Vinod Kumar Singh alias Pandit Singh, Pawan Pandey, Abhay Singh, Jitendra Singh, Anand Sen Yadav etc.

The prominent candidates who are trying their luck includes Rammurti Verma, Shankhlal Manjhi, UP minister Yasar Shah and his mother Ruab Saeeda, Prateek Bhushan, Ram Achal Rajbhar etc.

In the remaining 6th and 7th phases, polling would be held in the Eastern UP districts bordering Bihar.