Akhilesh afraid of losing from Karhal seat, BJP's SPS Baghel

Agra Member of Parliament (MP) and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Mainpuri's Karhal Assembly constituency SP Singh Baghel on Thursday said that the Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav is now afraid of losing the elections.

Baghel, who is also a Union Minister, said that Yadav is now reaching out to the people in Karhal constituency after becoming aware of the stiff challenge there. Baghel, who has been pitted against the SP leader by the BJP from Karhal seat, said: "Yadav had earlier said that he will come to Karhal constituency only after winning the elections. Now, he is asking for people's votes there. It shows they (the SP) have the fear of losing (the elections)."

Baghel claimed that people have decided not to cast their votes for Yadav in Karhal seat. On Thursday morning, Baghel said he is going to cast his vote in favour of the BJP candidate from Agra's South assembly.

Speaking to ANI, "I have come here to vote in favour of the BJP candidate from Agra's South Assembly Yogendra Upadhyaya. Voting is very important, I ask people to vote maximum and form BJP government again."

Voting for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections on 58 Assembly seats, covering 11 districts of the state, began on Thursday at 7 am.

The voting will conclude at 6 pm today.

The first phase will cover the 'Jat-dominant belt' of the western parts of the state.

The districts going to the polling today are Mathura, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Hapur, Shamli, Baghpat, Aligarh, Agra and Gautam Buddha Nagar.

As many as 623 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the assembly polls while nearly 2.27 crore voters will decide their fates.

Nearly 50,000 paramilitary personnel from 412 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed at different locations to maintain law and order as the election campaign for the first phase of Assembly polls in western Uttar Pradesh ended on Tuesday evening.

The police have sealed the borders of the state and strict vigilance is underway to maintain peace in 58 Assembly constituencies where voting is underway.

The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in seven phases on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3, and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

( With inputs from ANI )

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