UP Election 2022 Phase 4: The stage is all set for fourth phase polling in Uttar Pradesh where a total of 624 candidates are in fray for the 59 Assembly segments spread across the districts of Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Banda and Fatehpur. Campaigning for the phase ended yesterday with all political parties trying to woo the voters. Of the 59 seats, the BJP had won 51 in the 2017 Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party had won four, the BSP three, the BJP’s ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) one. The polling will begin at 7 am on Wednesday and continue till 6 pm tomorrow.
Lucknow Cantonment Seat: Law Minister in Yogi Adityanath’s government, Brijesh Pathak is contesting from the Lucknow Cantonment seat. He is facing Samajwadi party candidate and two-time corporator Surendra Singh Gandhi. The BJP has fielded Pathak by replacing Suresh Chandra Tiwari who had won from the seat during the 2019 by-election. Pathak had won the Lucknow Central seat in 2017. The BSP has fielded Anil Pandey while the Congress has given a ticket to Dilpreet Singh from the seat.
Lucknow East Seat: In the poll fray from the Lucknow East seat is another BJP minister Ashutosh Tandon. He is contesting against SP’s national spokesperson Anurag Bhadauria. Kalraj Mishra of the BJP had won from the seat in 2012 and resigned in 2014 after being elected to the Lok Sabha. Tandon then bagged the seat in the 2014 bypoll and retained in 2017 defeating Bhadouria.
Sarojini Nagar Seat: Another assembly constituency falling within the limits of Lucknow, the Sarojini Nagar seat will witness a clash between former ED officer Rajeshwar Singh fielded by the BJP and Abhishek Mishra who had been a minister in the Samajwadi Party government. The BJP has fielded Rajeshwar Singh replacing Swati Singh who was lobbying hard to contest from the seat again. Swati Singh had won the seat in 2017 while the SP’s Sharda Pratap Shukla had won from the seat in 2012. The Congress has fielded Rudra Daman Singh while the BSP has given the ticket to Jaleesh Khan from the seat.
Rae Bareli Seat: The BJP has fielded Congress turncoat Aditi Singh from the Congress bastion. She had won from the seat in the 2017 polls and joined the BJP in November last year. She is the daughter of senior Congress leader Akhilesh Kumar Singh. The Congress has fielded Dr. Manish Chauhan from the seat while the SP has fielded RP Yadav.
Lakhimpur Seat: BJP has fielded Yogesh Verma from the Lakhimpur seat which had hogged national news headlines after eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence on October 3 last year. Verma had won the seat in 2017. Given the Lakhimpur violence case, the contest has turned interesting this time with opposition raising the issue time and again to woo the voters. The Samajwadi Party has fielded Utkarsh Verma from the seat. He had won the seat 2010 bypoll and 2012 assembly election. Gyan Prakash Bajpai is the BSP candidate from the seat.