Lucknow, Apr 7 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday notified the second phase of panchayat polls to be held in 20 districts including the state capital Lucknow on April 19.
Over 123 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the four phase polling through ballot papers to be held on April 15, 19, 26 and 29 with counting of votes on May 2.
The notification for the first phase in 18 districts was issued on April 3 and today is the last date for withdrawals.
Nominations for second phase in 20 districts would continue for two days, today and tomorrow, scrutiny on April 9 and last date of withdrawal on April 11. Polling for the phase would be held on April 19.
Candidates can file their nominations for the posts of Gram Pradhan, Gram Panchayat, Khetra and Zila Panchayat members while each voter will have the privilege to cast four votes, one each for village panchayat member, Pradhan, Kshetra panchayat member and zila panchayat member.
The nomination papers will be filed between 8 am and 5 pm at all the development block headquarters in the districts on the two days. Strict Covid protocol would be enforced during the nomination process.
Additional Election Commissioner of the State Election Commission (SEC), Ved Prakash Verma here on Wednesday said instructions have been issued to all the District Magistrates that the crowd of supporters of the candidates coming to the Block Headquarters should be stopped outside the radius of 200 meters on the nomination day. Only the candidate, his election agent, proposer and one more person would be allowed to enter the nomination room.
In the second phase of panchayat poll, the districts are Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bijnore, Amroha, Badaun, Etah, Mainpuri ,Kannauj, Etawah, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot ,Pratapgarh, Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur, Gonda, Maharajganj, Varanasi and Azamgarh.
Meanwhile in Lucknow, elaborate security arrangements have been made for the panchayat polls .
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