Lucknow sources have stated that the stage is set for the grand finale to the staggered UP Assembly polls as the seventh and the last phase covering 40 seats will be held on 8 March, with all eyes on the Prime Minister's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi and the three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, will be in prime focus.
Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Bhadoi are the other districts going to polls in this phase. Tight security has been put in place in these seven districts. It was stated that a total of 1.41 crore voters, including 64.76 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 14,458 polling booths. The BJP is contesting 32 seats and its allies the Apana Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party are contesting on 4 seats each. The BSP has fielded its nominees for all seats.
While the SP is contesting 31 seats, its ally the Congress
is in the race for the remaining seats. In the 2012 state Assembly
polls, out of these 40 seats, 23 went to the SP, 5 to the BSP, 4 to the
BJP, 3 to the Congress and 5 to others. In all, 535 candidates, including
40 (BSP), 32 (BJP), 31 (SP), 9 (Cong), 21 (RLD) and 5 (NCP) are in the
fray. While the maximum number of candidates (24) is from the Varanasi
Cantt seat, the minimum number of candidates (six) is contesting from
Kerakat (SC).
For the last phase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent three days in Varanasi, where he visited temples, held a roadshow and attended a number of public events. He also addressed several rallies in the region to give a final push to the BJP campaign.
