All you need to know about phase I voting in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections of 2022

*Paromita Das

On Thursday, 10 February 22, the high-stakes political battle in Uttar Pradesh began.

The first round of voting will take place in 58 assembly seats divided over 11 districts in the state’s western region.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will face off against the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Congress party in India’s most populous state.

A total of 623 candidates will run for the 58 seats, including the nine reserved seats, and roughly 2.27 crore people will vote in this phase.

The first phase would focus on the Jat community-dominated area of western UP, where farmers took part in the national capital Delhi protests against the Centre’s three agri legislation.

The BJP won 53 of the 58 seats in 2017, while the Samajwadi Party and the BSP each won two.

The vote will take place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The results of the election will be announced on March 10.

The polling will be conducted in accordance with COVID-19 safety measures and the Election Commission’s instructions.

While voters must wear masks, maintain social distance, and use sanitizer while voting, election officials will be provided with a Covid kit to ensure a successful election.

Before anyone is allowed inside the EVM room, they will be subjected to a thermal scan. The electoral commission may set aside the final hour of voting for COVID-positive voters.

After the final phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh, the exit poll for the assembly elections will be announced on March 7.