The nomination process for the first phase of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections began on Tuesday with the issuance of the notification.

Polling would be held in 62 Assembly constituencies in 13 districts on April 7 in the first phase while other phases are scheduled on April 13, 18, 23, 28, May 3 and May 8.

The Election Commission has directed that not more than five persons, including the candidate, would be allowed in the room of the returning officer or the assistant returning officer at the time of filing of nominations.

The commission has also ordered that only three vehicles would be permitted within 100 mt of the RO or the ARO office.

The expenditure relating to all the vehicles would be included in the candidate's expenditure if more than three vehicles were found inside the 100 mt area.

Nomination papers would be scrutinised on March 21 while names could be withdrawn by March 23.

The districts going to the polls in the first phase included Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's home town of Etawah, besides Mainpuri, Etah, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Kanpur and Agra.

Over a dozen ministers, including Mulayam Singh's brother and PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, will be in the fray in the first phase.

Polling would be held in four seats in Etawah, five in Mainpuri, eight in Etah, three in Auraiya, eight in Kanpur Nagar, six in Kanpur Dehat, four in Ferozabad, nine in Agra, three in Hamirpur, two each in Mahoba and Lalitpur and four each in Jhansi and Jalaun.

Unprecedented security arrangments have been put in place by the commission to ensure free and fair polls in view of the complaints by the opposition parties that the ruling dispensation could indulge in rigging and violence during the polling.

Chief Election Commissiner N Gopalaswamy has made it clear that Central paramilitary forces would be deployed at every polling station.

The EC has also directed that no person having government security or MPs, MLAs could be appointed as polling agent by the candidates.