Guwahati: After a 6-day break, polling has resumed in Uttar Pradesh today, as voters in the country’s most populous state are casting their votes in the third phase.
The state reported an 8.15 % voter turnout till 9 am.
In today’s third phase, 627 candidates are in the fray.
VIP candidates include Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader SP Singh Baghel, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party president Shivpal Yadav, and ex-Kanpur police chief and recent BJP joinee Asim Arun, among others.
As many as 59 of Uttar Pradesh’s total 403 assembly constituencies will go to polls; when the session ends, the fate of candidates in 172 seats will have been sealed.
In the first two legs, February 10 and 14, elections took place for 58 and 55 seats, respectively.
The voter turnout stood at 62.4% and 60.44%.
The BJP is the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh and is facing stiff competition from the SP-led alliance, which also includes the Rashtriya Lok Dal. The other challengers are the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress.
