Uttar Pradesh: As violence-hit district undergoes polls in the fourth phase today, a huge crowd gathered outside the Bhabinapur polling station of Lakhimpur Kheri when Union Minister father of accused Ashish Mishra arrived to cast his vote. In another polling station in Kadipur Sani, voting resumed after a ruckus had erupted after Fevikwik was thrown at an EMV.

Lucknow, where all nine seats are up for a contest is another important district under the scanner. BSP President Mayawati, state minister Brijesh Pathak and a number of senior officials were among the early voters here.

According to EC an average of 9.10 per cent voting was recorded in the first two hours of polling today. The polling began at 7 am and would continue until 6 pm tonight.  Pilibhit recorded 10.64 per cent of votes, Kheri 10.43 per cent, Sitapur 9.59 per cent, Hardoi 8.14 per cent, Unnao 9.26, Lucknow 8.06 per cent, Rae Bareli 8.03 per cent, Banda 8.81 per cent, and Fatehpur 9.69 per cent so far.

Nearly 59 constituencies- 624 seats of UP are underway polls today, including five seats under Raibareli, the bastion of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi are also under polls. Among the prominent candidates in this phase are Uttar Pradesh Law Minister Brijesh Pathak, SP’s national spokesperson Anurag Bhadauria, former SP minister Abhishek Mishra, former Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Nitin Agarwal and Aditi Singh.