Lucknow, March 7
Polling has begun for the seventh and final phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
This phase will bring the curtain down on one of the most fiercely contested elections in the state.
Polling is being held in a total of 54 Assembly constituencies of Purvanchal, spread across nine districts. The districts where polling is being held include Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra.
The counting for all the phases will be done on March 10.
A total of 613 candidates will be trying their luck in this phase on the 54 seats which include 11 reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two for the Scheduled Tribes by an electorate consisting around 2.06 crores.
The final round will also be a test of the alliances carved by both the BJP and Samajwadi Party with small caste-based parties.
BJP's allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Nishad Party and Akhilesh Yadav's new friends Apna Dal (K), Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of Om Prakash Rajbhar and others, are key players in the final phase.
Once considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, the region saw BJP making inroads in 2017 by winning 29 seats along with its allies Apna Dal (4) and SBSP (3).
The BSP had got six seats and Samajwadi Party 11 seats.(IANS)