Polling starts for UP Legislative Council polls for 12 seats

LUCKNOW: Polling is underway for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council biennial polls for 12 seats even as horse trading appears inevitable with key parties fielding extra candidates expecting cross voting by MLAs.

"Polling started this morning at 9 AM and will continue till evening," Principal Secretary Vidhan Sabha Pradeep Dubey said.

The state Assembly has 403 members and first preference votes of 31 MLAs would be needed to ensure victory of one candidate for the Upper House.

The decision by ruling Samajwadi Party, BJP and BSP to field an extra candidate each has put pressure on all parties, not only to ensure victory of their nominees, but also to keep their flock of MLAs intact.

Congress today said its MLAs have voted to defeat communal forces. "Congress MLAs have used their votes judiciously in order to defeat the second candidate of BJP which has fielded an additional nominee," party spokesperson and MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi said after casting her vote. "We do not want BJP which is relying on horse trading," she said, implying that the extra votes of Congress have gone to BSP. To a specific question as to whether the additional Congress votes have been cast in favour of BSP, she said, "Our votes are for secular parties." "The entire Congress Legislature Party is of the same view and has voted with the same aim in mind," she added. Congress did not file any candidate for the Legislative Council biennial elections in 12 seats as a quid pro quo for ruling Samajwadi Party, which had enabled two Congress candidates sail through in the Rajya Sabha elections.