Agra municipal polls amid high security

Agra: Authorities have stepped up security in Agra for today's municipal polls which will test the popularity of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh.

The SP is expected to give a tough fight to the  Bhartiya Janata Party, which has been ruling the state council for over a decade.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the elections to run smoothly. Additional companies of UP Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed at the 319 polling centres in the city, which has been divided into ten super zones and 72 sectors for the Agra Municipal Corporation polls, one of the largest municipal bodies in UP.

Ten candidates are contesting for the mayor's post while more than 700 are in the fray for the 90 corporator posts.

The outgoing BJP mayor Anjula Singh Mahaur has now joined the SP.

Barriers have been erected to check anti-social elements, and officials said 107 polling booths have been identified as sensitive.

Inspector General (IG) M Javed Akhtar, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Bhanu Bhaskar, Senior Superintendent of Police Sunil Chandra Vajpayee reviewed the arrangements with senior district administration officials on yesterday.

Considering the hot weather, poll pundits have forcast a low turnout of voters.

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