E-Paper
UP civic elections: 26 remaining districts go to polls today
A total 26 districts will go to civic polls in the third and final phase. Around 94 lakh voters will exercise their franchise amid tight security.
A total 26 districts will go to civic polls in the third and final phase on Wednesday. Around 94 lakh voters will exercise their franchise amid tight security.
Five nagar nigams (municipal corporations) —Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Jhansi and Firozabad --will also vote to elect new mayors.
Bareilly has the highest number of 24 candidates contesting for the post of mayor, while the highest number of 32 candidates for the post of chairman of a nagar palika parishad is in Kamthar in Jhansi district. Pakwara nagar panchayat in Moradabad district has 33 candidates contesting for the post of chairman.
The commission has identified 1,155 of the total 10,817 booths as highly sensitive under the last phase and has arranged for live webcasting of all such booths. As many as 4988 sets of EVMs are being used at 2494 booths of five nagar nigams.
Districts going to polls under the 3rd phase are Saharanpur, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Moradabad, Sambhal, Bareilly, Etah, Firozabad, Kannauj, Auraya, Kanpur Dehat, Jhansi, Mahoba, Fatehpur, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Barabanki, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj, Kushi Nagar, Mau, Chandauli, Jaunpur and Mirzapur.
Meanwhile, the 84 km-long Indo-Nepal border has been sealed ahead of the third phase of polls.
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is enforcing the sealing of the border, Maharajganj district magistrate and electoral officer Virendra Kumar Singh told reporters.
“Only emergency vehicles will be allowed across the border during this period,” he said.
The threat of Maoists and the porous Indo-Nepal border are the two biggest challenges during the third phase of municipal polls in Maharajganj, the official said.
Cameras have been installed on trade and transit points along the border to prevent illegal movement of people.
