New Delhi:
With at least three Assembly constituencies falling under the Amethi parliamentary seat going to polls today, the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh will put to test the charisma of Rahul Gandhi, who represents the constituency in Lok Sabha.
Three assembly constituencies of Jagdishpur, Gauriganj and Amethi go to polls today in the third phase of polling.
Both Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi have been campaigning rigorously in Amethi, the parliamentary seat which has been a Gandhi stronghold. It was earlier represented by Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
The third phase would see polling in 10 districts for 56 seats, with more than 1.75 crore voters expected to cast their votes to seal the fate of 1018 candidates. Polling in Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar, Sultanpur, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra will be held amid tight security.
In the 2007 Assembly elections, the BSP swept the region with 35 seats, the SP got 13, the BJP won five, the Congress three and others 14.
But in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the SP topped by winning 22 seats, followed closely by the BSP with 21 seats, Congress 9 and BJP and allies four.