Punjab is all set to vote today

On February 20, the first phase of the Punjab Assembly election and the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election will be held. 117 Assembly seats in Punjab will be polled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., while 59 in Uttar Pradesh will be polled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Congress, AAP, SAD-BSP, BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt), and the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political front of several farmer groups, are all competing in Punjab.

Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party head Akhilesh Yadav will face BJP's SP Singh Baghel for the Karhal Assembly seat in the third phase.

A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women, are running in Punjab. Their fate would be decided by almost 2.14 crore votes.

Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former chief ministers Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal, and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal are among the prominent candidates in Punjab.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Smriti Irani, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal all took part in the high-octane campaigning.

In the Punjab elections, Rahul Gandhi warned people against participating in any "experiment," stressing that keeping the peace was the most essential thing for the state and that only his party was capable of doing it.

In the meantime, the state administration has declared a paid vacation for personnel working in stores, commercial establishments, and industries on Sunday in the wake of the elections.

All political parties provided numerous giveaways to entice voters during the campaign.

Congress offered Rs 1,100 per month for destitute women, whereas the AAP promised Rs 1,000 for all women.

Similarly, the SAD-BSP alliance has offered all women heads of blue cards families Rs 2,000 per month (BPL beneficiaries).

A lakh government jobs have also been promised by the Congress and the SAD-BSP alliance in the state. The SAD-BSP guaranteed 75% reservations in the public and private sectors for state youth. A similar pledge was made by the BJP-led alliance, but just for the government sector.

The AAP has pledged up to 300 units of free electricity, while the SAD-BSP has promised 400 units.

The third phase of polling

In Uttar Pradesh, voting will take place in 59 Assembly constituencies distributed over 16 districts.

The fate of 627 candidates will be decided by around 2.15 crore voters.

Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur, and Mahoba are among the districts voting in the third phase.

Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, will contest the Karhal assembly seat against BJP's S P Singh Baghel.

In addition, the fate of Shivpal Singh, the SP chief's uncle, will be decided on Sunday when he runs for his traditional Jaswantnagar seat.

The results of the election will be announced on March 10.