Polling for the last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in Azamgarh, which is the Samajwadi Party's stronghold, began on Monday morning.
The SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had won the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general elections. The SP stronghold had also bagged five out of 10 Assembly seats in the 2017 state elections. Even while the BJP swept the 2017 state polls, the party had won just one Assembly seat.
The BJP has fielded Akhilesh Mishra against SP's Durga Prasad Yadav from the Azamgarh Assembly seat. Durga Prasad Yadav is yet to lose an election from here since 1985.
Voting for the last phase of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh elections began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm.
Meanwhile, polling is also underway in Mau, South Varanasi.
A total of 613 candidates are in the electoral fray for 54 constituencies across nine districts of Mau, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, and Bhadohi (Sant Ravidas Nagar).
The constituencies that will be polling today are Atraulia, Gopalpur, Sagadi, Mubarakpur, Azamgarh, Nizamabad, Phulpur-Powai, Deedarganj, Lalganj (SC), Mehnagar (SC), Madhuban, Ghosi, Muhammadabad-Gohna (SC),Mau, Badlapur, Shahganj, Ghazipur, Jangipur, Zahurabad, Mohammedabad, Zamania, Mughalsarai, Sakaldiha, Saidaraja, Chakia (SC), Pindra, Ajgara (SC), Shivpur, Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantonment, Sevapuri, Bhadohi, Gyanpur, Aurai (SC), Chanbe (SC), Mirzapur, Majhawan, Chunar, Madihan, Ghorawal, Robertsganj, Obra (ST) and Duddhi (ST). Of these, 11 seats are reserved for scheduled castes and 2 for scheduled tribes.
As many as 2.06 crore eligible voters will seal the fate of 613 candidates who are in the electoral fray for 54 Assembly seats.
The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
( With inputs from ANI )
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