Campaign for the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections concluded on Friday with the Election Commission tightening its security measures in 56 constituencies that go to the polls on Sunday.
An electorate of 1.74 crore, including 78 lakh women, would vote to choose MLAs from among 967 candidates that included 91 women.
There will be 18,609 polling stations. The Pratapgarh Assembly segment has the maximum of 32 candidates while Salon has just nine candidates. The ruling BSP, the BJP and the Congress have fielded their candidates in all the 56 constituencies spread over eight districts and the Samajwadi Party in 54 segments.
The Assembly constituencies under the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, represented by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, will go to the polls in this phase. Segments in the capital Lucknow also are covered in this phase.
Louise Khurshid, Congress candidate and wife of Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid (whose remarks on quota for minorities invited the wrath of the Election Commission), is contesting from the Farukkhabad segment.
Zutshi rejoins duty
Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi, who was on leave, rejoined on Friday and has been given back his earlier assignment of overall in-charge of the elections.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court stayed criminal proceedings against him and few others pending at a Jaipur court. The local court had earlier issued an arrest warrant against them in connection with alleged illegal leasing of land around the 16th century Jal Mahal in Jaipur.
