UP: Control rooms set up, forces deployed at polling booths as Kanpur set to witness electoral battle in phase 4

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 12 : Kanpur, a bellwether seat poised to witness the electoral battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress, has been divided into 44 zones and 276 sectors. Control rooms have been set up and security forces have been deployed at the district's polling stations for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls scheduled for May 13, said an official.
Speaking to ANI about the preparedness for the fourth phase of polls, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Crime Kanpur Nagar, Ashish Srivastava, said, "There is voting in Kanpur tomorrow. In view of the voting, the entire district has been divided into 44 zones and 276 sectors. Sub-inspectors and home guards have been deployed at all polling stations."
"About 6,000 policemen will maintain law and order outside the polling stations. Three control rooms have been set up, through which we are taking action on whatever complaints are received," the official said.
Apart from being a major industrial city in the state, which was once known as "Manchester of the East" because of its booming textile industry, it also remains politically active and its citizens are considered bellwethers of India's voting behaviour and assert that whoever wins Kanpur forms the government in New Delhi.
This assertion has remained true mostly since 1977, with the exception of 1991 and 1999. After, 2004, it's been completely true, as in 2004 and 2009, Congress candidate Sriprakash Jaiswal won the seat and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) formed the government.
In 2014 and 2019, BJP candidates won the seats, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance came to power.
BJP has fielded Ramesh Awasthi, while Congress has shown confidence in Alok Mishra. Both had filed their nomination papers on Saturday. It will be intriguing to see how the voters respond to these candidates in this highly anticipated electoral battle.
The Kanpur parliamentary constituency comprises five assembly seats: Govind Nagar, Sisamau, Arya Nagar, Kidwai Nagar, and Kanpur Cantt.
Apart from Brahmin, Vaishya, and Muslim voters, Punjabi voters also wield significant influence in the constituency.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP's Satyadev Pachauri emerged victorious, securing 468,937 votes.
Congress' Sriprakash Jaiswal secured the second position with 313,003 votes.
Similarly, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's former president, Murli Manohar, who has shifted from Varanasi, defeated Congress' Sriprakash Jaiswal by a margin of 222,946 votes.
As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Congress is contesting 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party has the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.
The ongoing Lok Sabha election is making history as the largest-ever election, surpassing even the 2019 Indian general polls.
Spanning 44 days, it ranks second only to the 1951-52 national elections in terms of length.Lok Sabha elections are being held between April 19 and June 1, 2024, in seven phases, to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha.
On June 4, the votes will be counted, and the results will be announced.