The Election Commission on Wednesday issued the dates for elections to the Uttar Pradesh assembly.

Addressing media persons in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said the elections will be conducted in seven stages.

The notification for the first phase of elections will be issued on March 13. The polling will be conducted in 62 constituencies on April 7.

In the second phase, 58 constituencies will go for polls. The notification for the second phase will be issued on March 17 and the elections will be held on April 13.

The notification for the third phase will be issued on March 23. Fifty seven constituencies will go to poll in this phase on April 18.

The proceedings for the fourth phase of elections in the state will get underway on March 28. Fifty seven constituencies will go to polls in this phase on April 23.

Notification for the fifth phase will be issued on April 3. Fifty eight constituencies will go to polls in this phase on April 28.

Proceedings for the sixth phase will get underway on April 5 and polling will be conducted in 52 constituencies on May 3.

The notification of the final phase of elections will be issued on April 13. Fifty nine constituencies will go to polls on May 7.

Counting of votes in the elections to the 403 member assembly will be taken up on May 11, the CEC said, adding that by-elections to Robertsganj, Mirzapur and Bilhaur Lok Sabha constituencies will be held along with the assembly elections in the respective constituencies.

The term of the current assembly expires on May 14. The elections will be held as per the revised electoral rolls of January 31, which were published on January 15.

The election schedule was announced after the three-member commission held discussions with Union Home Secretary V K Duggal on law and order and security arrangement for polls.

A total of 11,43,44,243 electorate will cast their votes in 1.1 lakh polling stations.

Polling will be held for 403 assembly seats out of which 83 are reserved for the Schedule Castes. Over 1.06 lakh electronic voting machines will be deployed for the polls.

Gopalaswami said the commission will take over the administration of the state with immediate effect. The CEC refuted claims that he had exceeded his brief by announcing elections in the state when the political parties were toying with the idea of imposing President's Rule in the state.

He said the Home ministry had assured that it will provide Central paramilitary forces along with the state armed forces for the seven-phase polls. General observers will be placed for all the constituencies and conduct of all officials in the state will be monitored closely, he added.

PTI adds:
The commission's declaration of poll schedule came as a bolt from the blue for the Congress, which had initiated an exercise aimed at dislodging the Mulayam Singh Yadav government by imposition of President's rule in the wake of disqualification of 13 Bahujan Samaj Party legislators by the Supreme Court last week.

The decision raised questions whether the Centre could still act on Congress plans for invoking Article 356 of the Constitution in the state in the wake of the Commission's announcement.

Two leading legal experts former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee and K K Venugopal said that the announcement of poll schedule does not come in the way of any Centre's decision to impose President's rule in a state. However, Sorabjee feels that such a decision will be improper and smacking of malafides.

Both said if the government felt that governance in a state could not be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, it can impose President's rule.

Asked about the urgency in announcing the schedule, Gopalaswami said, "As far as we are concerned, the clock of Constitutional mandate started ticking for us from yesterday. We are 24 hours behind."