With polling parties despatched for their respective booths on Friday, all arrangements for the smooth conduct of polling in the last phase of the general election in Uttar Pradesh have been completed.

Around 2.50 crore voters will exercise their franchise across 25,658 booths in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Purvanchal on Saturday from 7 am to 6 pm. The by-election for the Duddhi assembly segment in Sonbhadra district will also be held along with the Lok Sabha elections.

In the Robertsganj Lok Sabha seat, polling timings for the Robertsganj assembly and Duddhi assembly segments will be from 7 am to 4 pm.

Elaborate security measures have been made for this phase as around 2 lakh security personnel, including 230 companies of Central forces, will be deployed to ensure peaceful polling.

This phase will witness the VVIP Varanasi seat, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting for the third time.

Along with the Prime Minister, the fate of three Union ministers — Anupriya Patel (Mirzapur), Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey (Chandauli)and Pankaj Choudhury (Maharajganj) — will be decided in this phase. A total of 144 candidates are in the fray for these elections.

Besides, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s political acumen would be tested on his home turf of Gorakhpur, which he has won five times. Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan Shukla is trying his luck for the second time.

All eyes will also be on the performance of UP Congress president Ajay Rai, who is pitted against the PM in Varanasi. The Ghazipur seat holds significance in determining which way it will go in the absence of notorious mafia figure Mukhtar Ansari.

During this phase in 2019, the BJP had won 9 seats while its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) secured victories in the Mirzapur and Sonbhadra seats. On the opposition front, the BSP, which had an alliance with the SP, had won the Ghazipur and Ghosi seats.

However, the soaring temperatures, exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in Purvanchal, have affected the campaigning and could have an impact in the polling percentage.

A report from Robertsganj in Sonbhadra said that seven polling personnel suffered heatstroke while being given polling material at the Polytechnic ground on Friday afternoon.

The 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in this phase include Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon (SC), Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Robertsganj (SC), spread across 11 districts.

In the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls in the seventh phase, there are over 2.49 crore voters, comprising 1.32 crore male and 1.17 crore female voters. There are a total of 14,183 polling stations and 25,658 polling booths in these constituencies.

Addressing concerns about the scorching heat, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said here on Friday that necessary arrangements have been made at the polling stations. These arrangements include provisions for cold drinking water, toilets for men and women, as well as wheelchairs and chairs for people with disabilities and elderly voters.

Additionally, shades have been installed on the polling station premises, extending to the voter queue. Paramedics and ASHA workers stationed at each polling station have been equipped with an ample supply of ORS and medical kits to safeguard themselves against the heat. Paramedic staff have also been deployed alongside Sector Magistrates, he said.

The CEO said that emergency ambulance services in the districts have been stationed at various locations so that, if needed, they can be quickly sent to the polling stations and polling booths.

The Chief Electoral Officer has advised polling personnel and voters to wear light cotton clothes and take necessary precautions to avoid the heat.

“To shield oneself from the scorching sun, wear a cap, carry an umbrella, or use a white cotton towel or any other cloth to cover the head. Besides, keep a water bottle, and intermittently drink plain water, lemonade or ORS as per the requirement. On the voting day, voters should reach the polling booths in large numbers and cast their vote before the sun is at its peak,” Rinwa appealed to voters.

The CEO said to keep a vigilant eye on the voting, the Commission has also deployed 3 special observers, 13 general observers, 8 police observers, and 14 expenditure observers. Apart from the above, 1,861 Sector Magistrates, 243 Zonal Magistrates, 130 Static Magistrates, and 2,550 Micro Observers have also been deployed.

During the seventh phase of elections, extensive arrangements have been made to ensure the safety and well-being of voters and personnel involved. Alongside the deployment of paramilitary and police forces, arrangements have also been made for air ambulances and helicopters for medical assistance in case of emergency. The location of the helicopter will be in Gorakhpur on May 31 and June 1 and the location of the air ambulance will be in Varanasi on June 1. Live webcasting has been arranged at more than 50 per cent polling places (13,092), which will be supervised at all three levels by the District Election Officer, Chief Electoral Officer, and the Election Commission of India. Apart from this, arrangements for videography have also been made at 2,304 polling locations.

In the seventh phase, a total of 288 model polling stations have been established with 100 women, 42 disabled, and 56 youth personnel managing polling stations.