Click to play videoNew Delhi: Approximately 15 percent of the 1.57 crore electorate had voted for the sixth phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh till noon.
There are 52 seats in this phase spread over nine districts of the state along with bypolls for two Lok Sabha seats in Robertsganj and Mirzapur.
The key Assembly constituencies going to polls include Allahabad, Varanasi and the naxalite-infested Sonbhadra and Chandauli districts.
The electorate will seal the fate of 705 candidates, including several ministers in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.
The key candidates in the polls include Apna Dal chief Sone Lal Patel, state minister Ujjwal Raman Singh, BJP state chief Kesri Nath Tripathi and All India Mahila Congress President Reeta Bahuguna Joshi.
Bigwigs from BJP like Keshri Nath Tripathi and Narendra Singh Gaur and Rajeshpati Tripathi of the Congress are in the fray.
The famous bahubalis (strongman) of eastern UP are also in fray. History-sheeters like Vineet Singh and Sushil Singh will fight the polls from jail.
Former Samajwadi Party MLA Udaibhan Singh who was jailed has fielded his wife from Aurai constituency.
Also, in Rari constituency, bahubali Dhananjay Singh who till now used to contest as Independent will now fight from Janta Dal now.
Over 650 companies of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) have been deployed in this phase and strict directions have been given to them to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
An Indian Air Force chopper had been kept ready at Varanasi along with a team of commandos to deal with any emergency.
Election office sources said that 8,210 polling centres and about 15,508 polling stations have been set up for the electorate equipped with 17800 EVMs. About 500 polling booths fall in the Naxal-infested areas.
(With PTI inputs)
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