Polling underway for first phase of UP polls

Lucknow, Feb 8 (ANI): Polling for the first phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh for 55 seats is going on today.

The polling started at 7 a.m. for 55 seats spread over 10 Districts including Sitapur, Barabanki, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharth Nagar and Basti.

Today's polling would decide the fate of cabinet minister Lalji Verma, minister of state Sangram Singh Verma, 31 sitting MLAs, 15 former ministers and relatives of several MPs including Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma.

More than 1.70 lakh electorates are expected to seal the fate of 862 candidates. The candidates include 796 men, 65 women and one eunuch.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangement to insure free and fair poll. To check the malpractice in voting about three thousand video and digital cameras have been put up at polling stations.

Arrangements have been made at 270 polling booths for web casting of poll process.n addition to general and expenditure observers for each and every constituency , the commission has deployed seven senior police officers from other states as police observers and one each expenditure observer at poll bound districts.

More than two thousand micro observers have been deployed to keep eyes on poll process.

The polls in Uttar Pradesh are being viewed as an opportunity for major parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)