Election to 1,000 UPs underway

The election to 1,000 union parishads is underway peacefully on Sunday in the third phase.

Long queue of voters are seen at the polling centres of the union parishads defying winter after the voting started at 8am. Electronic voting machine (EVM) is being used in 33 union parishads.

More than two crore people are expected to cast their votes at 10,159 polling stations.

A total of 50, 146 candidates are vying for council seats (excluding those elected uncontested). Of them, 4,409 are contesting for the chairman post, 11,105 for reserved seats and 34,632 for general member seats.

Nineteen registered political parties, without BNP, are participating in the third phase.

Though the Election Commission earlier announced the election schedule for 1,007 UPs, the polls to seven UPs were postponed on different grounds.