Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022: Lakhimpur votes in 4th phase of polls under shadow of farm violence

The election in Lakhimpur Kheri has become a prestige battle for Union Minister of State (Home) Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish is a murder accused in the case involving the death of four farmers during a protest in October.

File Image of Lakhimpur Kheri violence

NEW DELHI: Lakhimpur, which had hogged national news headlines after eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence on October 3, will go to the polls in the fourth phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

The assembly election in Lakhimpur Kheri has become a prestige battle for Union Minister of State (Home) Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish is a murder accused in the case involving the death of four farmers during a protest in October.

The farmers of the region are reportedly unhappy over the Centre's contentious farm laws. The violence in Lakhimpur Kheri has further added to their anger and frustration with the ruling BJP dispensation t the Centre and in the state.

They have been demanding strict action against Ashish Mishra whose SUV allegedly mowed down four farmers in October last year. They have even challenged Ashish Mishra's bail in the Supreme Court.

Currently, all 8 seats in Lakhimpur are with the BJP. Both the BJP and the SP have repeated their candidates on the Lakhimpur city seat. BJP's Yogesh Verma, who won the seat in the 2017 polls, has been pitted against Samajwadi Party's Utkarsh Verma Madhur. The Congress has fielded Ravi Shankar Trivedi.

In all, voting for 59 assembly constituencies spread in nine districts of Uttar Pradesh is taking place on Wednesday in the fourth phase of the polls.

The fourth phase of polling on February 23 will decide the fate of 624 candidates in 59 Assembly segments in the districts of Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Banda and Fatehpur.

Voting for the remaining three phases of the seven-phase UP elections will take place on February 27, March 3, and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.