UP Elections 2022 Phase 7: From OP Rajbhar to Neelkanth Tiwari; here are 5 key fights

The high-octane campaign for Uttar Pradesh comes to head as 54 assembly constituencies go to polls on March 7 - Monday. All eyes are on the electoral battle in and around Varanasi which has seen Prime Minister Narendra Modi and prominent leaders from opposition parties leading their campaigns. Nine districts will be polled - Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra. Results will be revealed on March 10. Voting will start at 7 AM and end at 6 PM. Results for the 7-phase elections will be announced on March 10.

Republic P-MARQ Opinion poll predicts that BJP and its allies are likely to retain power with the party projected to win 252-272 seats in the 403-member Assembly. On the other hand, Samajwadi Party+ is looking to bag 111-131 seats. Other parties are likely to have small gains. BSP is likely to bag 8 - 16, Congress 3-9 and others 0-4 seats.

Here are five key fights:

Varanasi South: Neelkanth Tiwari Vs Kishan Dixit

Falling under PM Modi's constituency, Varanasi South will witness a close battle between BJP MLA Neelkanth Tiwari and SP's Kishan Dixit. SP has picked Kishan Dixit - Mahamritunjay Mandir priest, to counter the Kashi Vishwanath corridor poll plank that BJP has been banking on. With a sizable Muslim-Yadav population, SP hopes to snatch a close victory as the BJP did in 2017. Tiwari had defeated former Congress MP Rajesh Mishra by around 17,000 votes. Tiwari has publically sought forgiveness from his constituents during his campaign, opening himself to the Opposition's ridicule.

Rohaniya : Sunil Patel Vs Abhay Patel

The battle of the Apna Dals - NDA ally Apna Dal (S)'s Sunil Patel will face SP ally Apna Dal (K)'s Abhay Patel for Rohaniya - which falls in Varanasi. The seat which is one of the three seats with a sizable Patel population is one of 17 seats Apna Dal (S) is contesting in UP. In 2017, BJP's Surendra Narayan Singh defeated SP's Mahendra Singh Patel by a margin of 57,553 votes. Apna Dal (S) chief Anupriya Patel has won the seat in 2012.

Mau Sadar: Abbas Ansari Vs Ashok Singh Vs Bheem Rajbhar

Jailed gangster Mukhtar Ansari's son - Abbas Ansari is contesting from his father's seat (Mau) on a Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) ticket. Don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who faces 50 criminal cases is  lodged in the Banda jail and was denied a ticket from BSP. While SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi wooed the gangster, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav prevailed and fielded Ansari's son on an ally's ticket. Abbas Ansari faces BJP's Ashok Singh and BSP's Bheem Rajbhar for the seat held by Mukhtar Ansari since 1996.

Mughalsarai: Ramesh Jaiswal Vs Chandra Sekhar Yadav

Falling under the Chandauli district, BJP's Ramesh Jaiswal will face SP's Chandra Sekhar Yadav, Congress’s Chhabbu Patel and AAP’s Sajjad Ansari. BJP pipped incumbent MLA Sadhna Singh, favouring Jaiswal who holds sway with the trader and OBC community. A miffed Sadhna Singh has hinted at jumping ship after polls. Singh had won the seat by defeating SP's Babulal with a margin of 13243 votes.

Zahoorabad: Om Prakash Rajbhar Vs Kalicharan Rajbhar

Ex-allies BJP and SBSP faceoff for this Rajbhar-dominated seat - Zahoorabad. Falling under Ghazipur district, Zahoorabad will choose between SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, BJP's Kalicharan Rajbhar and BSP's Sayeda Shadab Fatima. In 2017, Om Prakash Rajbhar on a BJP ticket defeated Kalicharan Rajbhar on a SP ticket by 18,081 votes. Om Prakash Rajbhar - an ex-BJP ally and Yogi cabinet minister tied up with SP, after his 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha' (BSM) alliance with PSP, AIMIM, Bhim Army fell apart.