Lucknow: Voting for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, comprising five graduate and six teachers' constituencies, began at 8 am on Friday with the stage set for a keen contest between ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party.
The elections are being held ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and are being viewed as a prestige battle for both parties. Campaigning ended Thursday evening.
In Lucknow, 259 polling booths have been set up for the elections, with more than 1.16 lakh registered voters eligible to exercise their franchise.
Polling will continue until 4 pm. Ballot papers, instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs), are being used in the elections.
The five graduate constituencies are Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi. The six teachers' constituencies are Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
The constituencies span all 75 districts of the state, but only registered graduates and teachers are eligible to vote.
Restrictions have been imposed within 100 metres of polling stations.
Political parties can set up tables only beyond this perimeter, while posters, flags, loudspeakers and campaign material are prohibited in the restricted zone. Unauthorised parking and crowding are also barred.
Counting of votes will take place on October 27.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.