LUCKNOW: The first phase of voting has begun in Uttar Pradesh. 58 assembly constituencies in the western Uttar Pradesh are going for polls on Thursday. Strong election battle exists between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) in these constituencies. The voting is in accordance with Covid guidelines.

The SP-RLD alliance is posing a serious challenge to the ruling BJP in many constituencies in the western UP. BJP had won majority in western UP in the 2017 elections.

Opinion surveys suggest that BJP will win here, though with less number of seats. “I am confident that the citizens will vote in favour of BJP for good governance in the state,” said Baby Rani Maurya, BJP candidate in Agra Rural.

In the meantime, Priyanka Gandhi has said that the lone contest in UP will revive the Congress. We hope that the people will stay with us. The party aims for progress, she added.