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6 pm today.

Among the prominent candidates in this phase are Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party’s president Om Prakash Rajbhar from Zahoorabad, Tourism Minister Neelkanth Tiwari (Varanasi South), Anil Rajbhar (Shivpur-Varanasi), Ravindra Jaiswal (Varanasi North), Girish Yadav (Jaunpur) and Ramashankar Singh Patel (Marihan-Mirzapur). Dhananjay Singh (Malhani-Jaunpur) and Abbas Ansari, the son of mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, from Mau Sadar seat are also contesting in this phase.

Curtains came down on the two-month-long campaigning on Saturday, which saw political parties trading barbs on issues, including Covid-19, law and order, farmers’ protest and economy.

Monday will also mark the end of the almost month-long election process in UP. The first phase of polling was held on February 10. The votes will be counted on March 10.

The final phase will see around 2.06 crore voters exercising their franchise in the 54 seats, which include 11 Scheduled Castes and two Scheduled Tribes constituencies.

Monday’s polling will also be an acid test of the alliances forged by both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) with small caste-based parties. In this election, BJP has allied with Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Nishad Party, while SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has joined hands with Apna Dal (K) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of Om Prakash Rajbhar.

In the 2017 assembly elections, 29 of these 54 seats were won by the BJP and seven by its allies. The SP was victorious on 11 seats and six were won by the BSP. In the 2012 elections, the SP had won 34, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) seven and BJP just four of them. Three seats were won by the Congress and five by other smaller parties.

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