Lucknow, October 23 (TNA) Voting for 11 seats of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council began on Friday, with 152 candidates in the fray across five Graduate and six Teacher constituencies. Polling began at 8 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m. A total of 14,81,310 registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 2,697 polling stations spread across 72 districts.
The polling is being held in all districts except Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat and Unnao, where the election process has already been completed. Votes are being cast through ballot papers, as required for elections to the Graduate and Teacher constituencies.
BJP-SP contest in focus
The election has turned into a significant contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party. Rebel candidates and independents have added another layer of competition in several constituencies, making the outcome difficult to predict.
The six Teacher constituencies are Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Varanasi, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad. The remaining five seats are Graduate constituencies, with voters including eligible graduates registered in the respective electoral areas.
The polling is being conducted under the supervision of election officials and observers. Schools and colleges in several districts have been closed as part of the local election arrangements, while restrictions have also been placed on the sale of liquor around the polling period.
Results on October 27
Counting of votes will take place on October 27, and the results are expected to be declared the same day. The outcome will determine the next members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from the 11 constituencies.
The election is being closely watched ahead of future political contests in the state, with both major parties seeking to demonstrate their organisational strength among teachers and graduate voters.