Lucknow. Voting for by-elections on nine seats of Uttar Pradesh Assembly is going on from 7 am on Wednesday amid tight security arrangements.
According to the statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, voting will continue from 7 am to 5 pm and even after this, voters standing in the queue will have the right to cast their votes.
Out of the by-elections, eight seats have become vacant due to Lok Sabha elections of sitting MLAs, while by-election is being held on Sisamau seat due to the conviction of sitting SP MLA Irfan Solanki in a criminal case.
A total of 90 candidates are contesting today in the by-elections being held in Katehari (Ambedkarnagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad Majhwan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad). The decision of fate will be captured in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). Counting of votes will take place on November 23 and all results are likely to be revealed on the same day.
The maximum number of 14 candidates are from Ghaziabad assembly constituency, while the least number of 5 candidates each are from Khair (reserved) and Sisamau seats. In the last assembly elections (2022), SP had won Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal and Kundarki seats, while BJP had won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhwan and Khair seats.
Meerapur seat was held by Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which has now become an ally of BJP. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded its candidates on Ghaziabad, Kundarki and Meerapur seats, while Chandrashekhar’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has fielded candidates on all the seats except Sisamau.
The main contest in this by-election is between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP). This is the first electoral battle after the Lok Sabha elections, in which the Congress has kept itself out and supported the Samajwadi Party (SP). At the same time, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is alone in the electoral fray, fielding its candidates on all nine seats.
An atmosphere of enthusiasm is being seen at almost all the polling stations regarding voting. Along with this, candidates are also reaching all the seats to cast their votes. Meanwhile, SP candidate Shobha Verma has cast her vote in Katehari of Ambedkar Nagar. After casting his vote, he said that I am confident that I will get the blessings of the public. Also alleged that the police are trying to put pressure on the people. Not allowing Muslims to come out.
Leaders of all parties including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and SP President Akhilesh Yadav have appealed to the voters for 100 percent voting. Chief Minister Yogi wrote on Twitter that voting is going to be held today on Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Kundarki, Khair, Karhal, Sisamau, Katehari, Majhwan and Phulpur assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh. There is an appeal to all the respected voters to vote to provide more speed and strength to the continuous development journey of Uttar Pradesh. Vote unitedly to bring comprehensive and positive change in the lives of 25 crore people of the state. Remember, first voting – then refreshments….
Akhilesh wrote on Twitter that the efforts being made ‘night and day’ regarding the voting process have made it clear that now voters will go to vote with double the enthusiasm. Results emerge only when not a single vote is divided or reduced. The conscious and courageous voters of Uttar Pradesh are coming out of their homes 100 per cent for their right to vote, which is the basis of every right.
He said that it is hoped that the Election Commission and the administration will conduct the elections in such a way that all the voters of Uttar Pradesh will thank and congratulate them. Those who want to tamper with the elections should keep in mind that voters and workers and officials of all political parties are deployed everywhere with their mobile phones to collect all the evidence, so that a solid basis can be formed for taking legal action tomorrow. Public consciousness itself is a warning.
Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati said that along with the general elections being held for the Legislative Assemblies in the states of Maharashtra and Jharkhand, as well as the by-elections being held on 9 assembly seats in UP, an appeal is made to all the voters to cast their vote first with the resolution of voting and then having refreshments. It is necessary to force the party and the government to act in public interest and welfare through voting.
