An estimated 12 to 13 per cent of voters turned out to exercise their franchise till 10 am during the fifth phase of polling Uttar Pradesh today. Polling is on for 51 Assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts of the state. "12-13 per cent polling was witnessed till 10 am," poll officials said. Prominent contestants in this phase include controversial minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from the ruling Samajwadi Party, who will be facing Amita Singh from Congress and BJP's Garima Singh in Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Rahul Gandhi.

Samajwadi Party leader Gayatri Prajapati on Monday expressed confidence and said that he will again siphon a win from his constituency.

Prajapati who is pitted against Ameeta Singh of the Congress Party and Garima Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (B JP) poked fun at his rivals and said that the "queens" in Amethi constituency will not get support of as akin last time people of his area will vote for him.

"Last time it was one queen (Ameeta Singh) who contested against me and the public was with Praja-pati. Even now it seems, many queens are competing against me. Public is still with Prajapati and not with any of the queens or the king," he said.

Prajapati who earlier in the day casted his vote in Amethi, said that the Samajwadi Party would again form the government in Uttar Pradesh helmed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.


File pic of Ameeta Singh