Elections in Uttar Pradesh are now in their fourth phase:
The 4th phase of the UP elections will see 59 seats go to the polls on Wednesday, February 23, in what is being billed as a frontal showdown between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party alliances.
624 candidates are running for these seats in Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Lucknow, Pilibhit, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Fatehpur, and Banda, which are distributed throughout nine districts. The BJP won 51 of these seats in the 2017 elections, while the SP and BSP won 4 and 3 seats, respectively.
Phase 4’s five most important electoral battles:
Surendra Singh Gandhi vs. Brajesh Pathak in the Lucknow Cantonment:
Brajesh Pathak of the BJP and Surendra Singh Gandhi of the SP will fight it out for this seat. Pathak is currently serving in Yogi Adityanath’s Cabinet as the Minister for Law, Justice, and Rural Engineering Service.
Though Suresh Chandra Tiwari won the by-election, there was suspicion that Aparna Yadav, who had joined the BJP, and Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s son Mayank were also vying for the party ticket.
Rajeshwar Singh vs. Abhishek Mishra in Sarojini Nagar:
Former Enforcement Directorate Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh has been fielded by the BJP in this constituency, which was won by Swati Singh in 2017.
In the UP government, the latter is the Independent Charge of Women’s Welfare and Child Development and Nutrition. Rajeshwar Singh, who holds a BTech and a Ph.D. in policy, human rights, and social justice, joined the ED in 2007. SP, on the other hand, has put his faith in Abhishek Mishra, a former UP Minister.
Nitin Agarwal takes on Anil Verma in Hardoi:
Since 1989, a member of the Agarwal family has won the Assembly election in Hardoi continuously. While Naresh Chandra Agarwal represented this seat until 2008, his son Nitin continued his father’s legacy and won three elections in a row.
Nitin Agarwal served as a Minister in Akhilesh Yadav’s administration and was elected on an SP platform in 2017, however, he was elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly in October 2024 with BJP backing. However, it was only in January that he formally resigned from his role as SP.
Manish Chauhan vs. Aditi Singh in Rae Bareli:
This seat is considered a Congress stronghold because it is part of the Rae Bareli constituency, which is represented by Sonia Gandhi. Aditi Singh has been nominated by the JP Nadda-led party.
Aditi Singh, the daughter of late Congress member Akhilesh Kumar Singh, who represented Rae Bareli from 1993 to 2012, won the seat on a Congress ticket in 2017. She formally resigned from the Assembly and the Congress on January 19 this year before joining the BJP.
Yogesh Verma vs. Utkarsh Verma Madhur in Lakhimpur:
Following the violence on October 3, 2024, which resulted in the deaths of eight people, including four farmers, this constituency is seen as a high-stakes battleground for the BJP and the opposition.
While Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra was identified as the primary accused in the case, he was released from jail a week ago.
It’s time for key leaders to be polled:
- Mayawati, the BSP’s leader, speaks at 7 a.m. in Lucknow.
- Kaushal Kishore, Union Minister, Dubagga
- Mohsin Raza, UP Minister, Gomti Nagar
- Pankaj Singh, BJP MLA, Gomti Nagar, 8.30 a.m.
- Brajesh Pathak, UP Minister, Lucknow, 8.45 a.m.
- Satish Chandra Mishra, BSP general secretary, Lucknow, 9 a.m.
9.30 a.m.: Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister, Gomti Nagar:
- Aishbagh Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Dinesh Sharma
- Governor Kalraj Mishra, Ganga Sansthan, 11 a.m.
As of 9 a.m., 45% of eligible voters had cast ballots.
According to the Election Commission of India, voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh was 9.10 percent until 9 a.m. Mohammadi had the greatest voter turnout of all the constituencies, at 13 percent, while Lucknow Cantonment had the lowest, at 5.36 percent. In terms of districts, Pilibhit had the highest voter turnout, with 10.62 percent.
District-by-district turnout is as follows:
- 8.79 percent for Banda
- Fatehpur has a 9.69% approval rating.
- 8.09 percent Hardoi
- Kheri accounted for 10.45% of the total.
- 9.19 percent in Lucknow
- 10.62 percent Pilibhit
- Rae Bareli has an 8% chance of winning.
- 9.52 percent in Sitapur
- Unnao has a 9.23 percent share of the market.
Voter turnout reaches a new high of 22.62 percent:
Uttar Pradesh had a voter turnout of 22.62 percent until 11 a.m., according to the Election Commission of India. Mohanlalganj had the greatest voter turnout of all the constituencies, at 31.75 percent, while Lucknow Central had the lowest, at 16.24 percent. Pilibhit had the highest voter turnout of all the districts, with 27.43 percent.
District-by-district turnout is as follows:
- Banda has a 23.85% approval rating.
- Fatehpur has a percentage of 22.49 percent.
- Hardoi has a 20.27 percent chance of winning.
- Lakhimpur Kheri has a percentage of 26.29 percent.
- Lucknow has a percentage of 21.42 percent.
- Pilibhit has a percentage of 27.43 percent.
- Rae Bareli received 21.41 percent of the vote.
- Sitapur has a percentage of 21.99 percent.
- Unnao has a 21.27 percent share of the vote.
As of 1 p.m., 14% of eligible voters had cast ballots:
Uttar Pradesh had a voter turnout of 37.45 percent as of 1 p.m., according to the Election Commission of India. Jahanabad had the greatest voter turnout of all the constituencies, with 44.07 percent, while Gopamau had the lowest, at 29.04 percent. In terms of districts, Pilibhit had the highest voter participation, with 41.21 percent.
District-by-district turnout is as follows:
- Banda has a 37.60 percent share of the vote.
- Fatehpur has a percentage of 40.17 percent.
- Hardoi has a 34.45% success rate.
- 40.97 percent in Lakhimpur Kheri
- Lucknow has 35.09 percent of the vote.
- Pilibhit has a 41.21 percent success rate.
- Rae Bareli received 40.14 percent of the vote.
- Sitapur had 36.84 percent of the vote.
- Unnao has 35.01 percent of the vote.
