Campaigning ends for first phase of polls in UP, voting in 58 assembly constituencies on February 10
Categories: Politics news
Electioneering ended Tuesday evening for the first phase of assembly polls in western Uttar Pradesh after a busy day during which the ruling BJP and the main opposition Samajwadi Party released their manifestoes.Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed one last virtual rally aimed at the voters of the region, winding up his speech with less than four minutes to go for the 6 pm deadline when campaigning for the February 10 polls had to end. The canvassing for the first phase remained confined to the virtual medium due to a ban on roadshows and physical rallies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.Leading the campaign for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched in for a double-engine government for fast-paced development while attacking the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) combine. Union Home Minister Amit Shah tried to put the spotlight back on the alleged "exodus" of Hindus from Kairana before 2017. He held door-to-door campaigning in Mathura.The first phase will cover the Jat-dominant belt of western UP. As many as 623 candidates are in the fray in the first phase. Around 2.27 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase.Last time, the BJP bagged 53 of the 58 seats while the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party got two seats each. One seat went to the Rashtriya Lok Dal.