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UP polls enter third phase on Saturday, SP has the highest stake
Also, Mulayam did not campaign for the party candidates except Shivpal and Aaprna and it is now on Akhilesh to prove his undisputed popularity and control over the party in this phase. Shivpal ran a rather low-profile campaign but sources close to him verify his resentment in view of the internal feud of the party lately
Lucknow: Over 2.41 crore voters may use their franchise to decide the fate of 826 candidates in 69 constituencies spread across 12 districts in the third of seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly polls 2017 on Sunday Februray 19.
The electorate comprised of about 1.30 crore males and 1.10 crore women while 1026 belong to third gender, an official spokesman said.
This phase will be crucial for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav as most of the constituencies are located in the backyard of ‘Yadav land’ which included home district of Yadavs Etawah, Mainpuri, Auriya and Kannuaj. The ruling Samajwadi Party has the highest stakes in this phase as it had won on 55 seats out of 69 in the 2012 state assembly elections.
The war of attrition between Akhilesh and Shivpal will reach logical end in this phase as it is to be seen if the near rebellion of the former with his father Mulayam and uncle Shivpal was based on his real political persona. Apart from Shivpal, another pointer will be candidature of Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of Mulayam, from Cantt assembly constituency of Lucknow.
There are many Mulayam and Shivpal loyalists are contesting in this phase in the pocket borough of Yadav family. Akhilesh and his MP wife Dimple Yadav did campaign for Aparna but given his strained relations with younger daughter-in-law, it will be interesting to see the contest.
Also, Mulayam did not campaign for the party candidates except Shivpal and Aaprna and it is now on Akhilesh to prove his undisputed popularity and control over the party in this phase. Shivpal ran a rather low-profile campaign but sources close to him verify his resentment in view of the internal feud of the party lately.
The districts going to polls in third phase also included Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar,Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki and Sitapur.
While the maximum number of candidates are in Etawah with a total of 21, Haidergarh (Barabanki) has the minimum number of candidates i.e 3.
Sanjay Bhatnagar
Writer is a bi-lingual journalist with experience of about three decades in print media before switching over to digital media. He is a political commentator and covered many political events in India and abroad.
