Lash Phase of polling begins in Uttar Pradesh, Manipur

TIL Desk/National/UP/Manipur/ Forty assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and 22 in Manipur are voting in the last and final phase of the five-state assembly elections.

In the politically crucial UP, all eyes are on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi. Around 1.40 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 535 candidates in seven districts of eastern UP in the seventh phase. Three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, will be in prime focus.

Polling in 22 Assembly seats in the last phase of Assembly elections in Manipur, with focus on Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh’s Assembly seat Thoubal where he faces challenge by rights activist Irom Sharmila, began at 7 AM today amid tight security. A total of 98 contestants will vie for the 22 seats spread across the valley districts of Thoubal and the hill districts of Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong and Senapati.

The results for the five states — UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur — will be announced on Saturday (March 11).