UP Election 2022 Voting LIVE Updates: Ashish Mishra, prime accused in Lakhimpur Kheri violence, granted bail amid polls

UP Assembly Election 2022 LATEST Updates: Mishra, the son of MoS Ajay Mishra, was arrested on 9 October in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which a vehicle mowed down a group of protesting farmers leaving four persons dead.

Among the districts, Shamli recorded the highest with 22.84 per cent turnout, followed by Hapur with 22.78 per cent.

The Samajwadi Party on Thursday alleged that voters belonging to the poor class are being intimidated and sent away from polling booths in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district as polling is underway for the first phase of the Assembly elections.

The Assembly elections kicked off in western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday with voting beginning for the first phase in 58 seats. As many as 623 candidates, including 73 women are in the fray.

Covering the Jat-dominant belt of western UP, the first phase will see a total of 58 constituencies across 11 districts going to polls.

Voting will start at 7 am in these constituencies according to the guidelines of the Election Commission to ensure Covid-safe polls. The polling will end at 6 pm.

The districts where the elections will be held are Shamli, Hapur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra.

Ministers whose fate will be decided in the first phase include Shrikant Sharma, Suresh Rana, Sandeep Singh, Kapil Dev Agarwal, Atul Garg and Chowdhury Lakshmi Narain.

The canvassing for the first phase remained confined to the virtual medium due to a ban on road shows and physical rallies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

BJP pitches for a 'double-engine' government

Leading the campaign for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for a double-engine government for fast-paced development while attacking the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) combine.

The BJP, while releasing the manifesto,  assured free electricity for irrigation, a job for every household and free travel for women over 60. It also promised a minimum 10-year sentence in cases of what it describes as “love jihad”.

Akhilesh claims people made up mind to vote BJP out

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tried to put the spotlight back on alleged "exodus" of Hindus from Kairana before 2017, SP president Akhilesh Yadav claimed that people have made up their mind to vote out the BJP from power.

The SP-RLD alliance has centred their electioneering on farmers' issues and has attacked Adityanath over poll promises.

BSP chief Mayawati, who started campaigning late, reminded people of her government's track record on law and order in the past.

The Congress under the leadership of its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has generated interest as seen in door-to-door campaigns.

All eyes on Jat stronghold

The first phase will cover the Jat-dominated belt of western UP from where farmers had participated actively in the stir against the Centre's three agri laws in the National Capital.

As many as 623 candidates are in the fray in the first phase and around 2.27 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase.

The ruling BJP has fielded 17 candidates from the Jat community, while the RLD has fielded 12 Jat candidates, and the SP six. There is anger in the community over the now withdrawn farm laws; issues like the payment of sugarcane dues also have some traction.

In 2017, the BJP bagged 53 of the 58 seats, while the Samajwadi Party and the BSP had got two seats each.

One seat had gone to the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

With inputs from agencies

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