Polling for Legislative Council elections begins in UP

In Uttar Pradesh, the polling for the Legislative Council elections will be held today, where to win an election to each of the 13 MLC berths falling vacant, a candidate needs 29 votes.

While the SP has fielded eight candidates, the BSP has nominated three persons, Congress one, and the BJP two persons, thereby necessitating polls.

The results will be announced post polls, today itself.

The political parties have ramped up efforts to keep their legislators in good humour and loyal to their parent political camps.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the patriarch of the ruling Samajwadi party hosted a dinner for its MLAs yesterday, which reportedly was not attended by at least ten of the members causing much of unrest within the party.

On paper, the Samajwadi Party does not seem to be in a weak position in the Council polls, and is only short of three votes, but in reality, it faces the possibility of a house falling apart.

At least a few sitting MLAs and ministers of the SP are stated to be unhappy with the Yadav first family. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has gone to the micro level to keep the identity of voter MLAs a secret in the legislative council and Rajya Sabha elections.

According to the Election Commission, a pen can leave a mark clear enough to reveal the identity of an MLA. Therefore, EC rules make it mandatory for MLAs to use only the official pen provided by it in both the elections.