Nominations for 1st phase in UP polls begins today

Lucknow: The filing of nominations for the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 58 seats in 11 districts will begin on Friday under strict Covid guidelines, said Ajay Kumar Shukla, UP chief electoral officer.

At the time of filing of papers, only two persons will be permitted to accompany the candidate to the returning officer's room.

Candidates can submit their nominations online through the Suvidha App and submit the copy of the application regarding online submission to the returning officer.

Due to the implementation of Covid protocol by the ECI, no candidate will be allowed to take out procession at the time of filing nomination papers. Only two vehicles can be used by the candidate at the time of nomination, he said. The ECI has fixed the polling time from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Shukla further said, "The Election Commission is committed for holding free, fair, inclusive, peaceful and Covid-safe polling in the state."

Out of the 58 Assembly seats going to polls in the first phase, nine seats are reserved for scheduled castes. The elections for the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly will be held in seven phases.

The last date for filing nominations for the first phase is January 21. The scrutiny of nominations will be done on January 24 while the last date for withdrawal of papers is January 27.

The eleven districts where polling will be held in the first phase are Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra.