UP polls: Notification for sixth phase issued

Lucknow: Notification for the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections was on Thursday issued with which the nomination process also commenced.

The sixth phase would cover Assembly seats in the bastion of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) - western UP, besides testing the fate of several stalwarts, including cabinet ministers Ramveer Upadhyaya, Jaiveer Singh, deputy leader of BJP Hukkum Singh, and Rajveer Singh, son of former chief minister Kalyan Singh.

Polling for the sixth phase of elections covering 68 seats spread over Saharanpur, Prabuddha Nagar, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bagpath, Ghaziabad, Panchsheel Nagar, Gautam Buddha Bagar, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura and Agra districts would be held on February 28.

"More than 2.11 crore voters are expected to cast their votes at 21,317 polling booths where 23,448 electronic voting machines would be used," Election Commission said.

To give a youthful look to the party, RLD chief Ajit Singh has fielded his son and MP Jayant Chaudhary from Manth in Mathura.

Though cabinet minister Ramveer Upadhyaya would be contesting from Sikandrarau seat in Hathras, his prestige would also be at stake on Sadabad and Dibai seats from where his brother-in-law Satyendra Sharma and brother Vinod Upadhyaya are in fray.

Ramveer is pitched against Rajveer Singh, son of Kalyan Singh, who commands respect of Lodh votes in the region.

Another cabinet minister Jaiveer Singh would be contesting from Barauli seat.

Muslim face of western UP Rashid Masood, who left SP and joined Congress, would also be in the fray in the sixth phase, whereas his nephew Imran Masood would be contesting from Nakud seat in Saharanpur.

The sixth phase would also test the impact of appeal made by Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Maulana Bukhari, whose son-in-law Umar Ali would be contesting from Behad seat in Saharanpur on Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket.

Former minister Rajpal Tyagi, who joined Samajwadi Party after being expelled from Bahujan Samaj Party by party supremo Mayawati, would be trying his luck from Moradnagar seat in Ghaziabad.