Four-phase panchayat elections in UP to begin on October 11

The notification for the four- phase elections of pradhan, gram, kshetra and district panchayats in Uttar Pradesh was issued today.

The polls will start from October 11.

“The election will be held in four phases - October 11, 14, 20 and 25. The nomination process will start from September 23. In all around 11 crore voters will elect 7,60557 representatives across the state”, State Election Commissioner (Panchayat and Local Bodies) Rajendra Bhownwal told reporters here.

Over 1.80 lakh polling booths will be marked for the polls that shall be held in all the districts except Etah and Kanshiram Nagar due to High Court orders.

Asked whether the polls could be conducted smoothly in view of Ayodhya title suit verdict on September 24, Mr. Bhownwal said that notification had been issued and it would not be withdrawn now.

“The orders have been issued only after reviewing the situation and there is no problem in holding the elections,” he said.

State police will ensure smooth conduct of these polls, the officer said, adding the process of identifying sensitive booths will be completed by the end of this month.

Two observers - each of special secretary rank - will be deployed in all districts to ensure free and fair polls.

There were 71 district panchayats, 2622 district panchayat wards, 821 kshetra panchayats, 63,710 kshetra panchayat wards, 51,921 village panchayats, 6,41,441 village panchayat wards in the state, Mr. Bhownwal said.

The counting will take place on October 28 and 30.