Stage set for second phase of UP polls

Lucknow, Feb 10 (ANI): Polling for the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 59 seats in 10 Districts would be held on Saturday.

Over 1.92 crore voters are expected to cast their votes in Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia and Ghazipur

Tomorrow's polling would decide the fate of many senior leaders, including speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar, Revenue Minister Phagu Chauhan, state presidents of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), deputy leader of Samajwadi Party (SP) Ambika Chaudhary, 31 MLAs and 24 former ministers.

Congress, ruling BSP and SP have fielded their candidates in all 59 constituencies while BJP has left four seats for its ally Janwadi Party. Maximum 31 are in contest from Gorakhpur Urban seat while minimum 23 candidates are in fray from Saidpur reserved constituency.

The polling would take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. under the cover of the Central security forces.

The international borders with Nepal and inter-state with Bihar have been sealed and mobile units of security forces are deployed at rivers of Ganga, Ghaghara and Saryu to check the movements of trouble makers during polling.

An impressive 62 to 64 percent voter turnout was recorded on Wednesday registered in the first phase of assembly elections for 55 seats.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

A new 403-member state assembly will be elected in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)