Polling picked up in the sixth phase of UP Assembly elections covering 68 seats with about 24 per cent of the over 2.17 crore voters exercising their franchise in the first four hours.

“Polling started at 7 AM and 23.88 per cent votes were polled in the first four hours,” Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Umesh Sinha, said.

Maximum 28.87 per cent polling was recorded in Hathras district. Among other districts, 27 per cent votes were polled in Saharanpur, 24 per cent each in Agra and Aligarh, 23.5 per cent in Bulandshahr, 22.6 per cent in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 21.5 per cent in Muzaffarnagar, 22 per cent in Panchsheel Nagar and 24.5 per cent in Meerut.

Polling in Noida, Dadri and Jewar assembly seats in Gautam Budhh Nagar was going on peacefully.

In Bhatta Parsaul, which was the centre of the land acquisition row, farmers were seen coming out to vote. Their leader Mr Manvir Singh Tevatia, who had spearheaded the farmers’ agitation, is fighting election from jail. The area falls under Jewar Assembly seat.

Congress has fielded Mr Dhirendra Singh from Jewar. He was the man on whose bike the Congress General Secretary, Mr Rahul Gandhi, had reached Bhatta Parsaul last year.

In Chief Minister Ms Mayawati’s native Badalpur village, farmers had lined up to cast their vote. BSP has fielded Mr Satvir Gujjar, sitting MLA from here, while Congress has fielded Mr Samir Bhatti.

Mr Bhatti had once served as MLA from Dadri and his father, Mr Mahinder Singh Bhatti, was twice MLA from here. BJP has fielded Mr Nawab Singh Nagar, who was twice elected MLA from here in the past. Samajwadi Party has fielded Mr Raj Kumar Bhatti as its candidate.

In Noida, which has become an Assembly seat for the first time, a good turnout is expected. Earlier Noida was part of Dadri Assembly seat and rural voters used to decide the winning pattern here.

Mr Mahesh Sharma is BJP candidate from Noida while Mr V.S. Chauhan is Congress candidate. Mr Om Dutt Sharma is BSP candidate, while Mr Sunil Choudhary is the SP candidate.

Polling is underway in Assembly seats in Saharanpur, Prabuddha Nagar, Meerut, Bagpath, Ghaziabad, Panchsheel Nagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Mahamayanagar and Agra.

More than 2.17 crore voters are expected to cast their votes to decide the fate of 1,103 candidates, including 86 women.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that polling was being held at 22,137 polling stations at 12,181 centres, of which 3,188 centres and 4,892 stations have been marked as sensitive.

To keep a tight vigil on the polling process, 1,015 video cameras and 2,353 digital cameras have been installed.

In the 2007 Assembly polls, 46.58 per cent votes were polled for 67 seats of which BSP got 35, BJP 12, RLD 10, SP 3, Congress 2 and others 5.

All the political parties including Congress, SP, BSP, BJP and RLD have done hectic campaigning in the Jat land of the state.

This phase would test the popularity of Congress’ alliance with Mr Ajit Singh led Rashtriya Lok Dal which has stronghold in the western region of the state.

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