In UP polls, Lakhimpur Kheri test for the BJP today

As many as 624 candidates are in the fray in the fourth phase

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R Voting for 59 assembly constituencies spread over nine districts in Uttar Pradesh began on Wednesday morning. The polling started at 7am and will continue till 6pm. This is the fourth phase of the assembly polls in the state, where elections are to be held in seven rounds. As many as 624 candidates are in the fray in the fourth phase. The districts where the poling is being held are Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Banda and Fatehpur.

Lakhimpur Kheri was a big part of the election narrative. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday equated the mowing down of farmers in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said on coming to power, his government will act against people shielding perpetrators of the crime.

Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence last October. The farmers were mowed down allegedly by cars carrying BJP workers. Police had arrested Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish in the case. Ashish Mishra got bail recently.

Addressing election rallies in Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri, Yadav said the violence reminded him of the Jalliawalan Bagh incident during the British rule. "Those who got bail in the case will lose their deposits in the court of people during voting," he said, adding that his party's government will ensure action against those who shielded perpetrators of the crime.

Speaking on pending sugarcane dues in the Terai belt, Yadav promised that on coming to power, his party's government will set up a corpus fund to ensure payment to farmers within 15 days of selling the crop.

He also accused the ruling BJP of suppressing farmers during the stir against the Centre's farm laws. "The BJP government acted against the farmers' agitation in all its capacity," Yadav alleged referring to the installing of spikes and barricades near the Delhi border where farmers protested against the laws.