Seven districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, known as Poorvanchal, are going to polls today.
Three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, will be in prime focus.
Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Bhadoi are the other districts where polling is going on in this phase.
Prominent candidates - Om Prakash, Parasnath Yadav, Ajay Rai, former MP Dhananjay Singh, Sigbatullah Ansari brother of Mukhtar Ansari and Seema Singh wife of jailed mafia Munna Bajrangi.
Over 1.41 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise, which include 76.87 lakh men and 64.99 lakh women. A total of 706 voters are of the third gender.
The BJP is contesting 32 seats and its allies - the Apana Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party - are contesting on 4 seats each. The BSP has fielded its nominees for all seats. While the SP is contesting 31 seats, its ally the Congress is in race for the remaining seats.
As many as 8,682 polling stations with 14,458 polling booths have been set up.