Lucknow (PTI): The stage is set for bypolls in nine assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday with stakes high for both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party in the first electoral contest after the Lok Sabha polls.

While the Congress is not contesting and supporting its INDIA bloc partner Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party is fighting all nine seats on its own.

Polling will be held in Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki. Votes will be counted on November 23.

According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, over 34.35 lakh voters - nearly 15.88 lakh of them women -- will be eligible to exercise their voting rights.

For peaceful polls, paramilitary forces in adequate numbers have been deployed.

Voting will be held from 7.00 am to 5.00 pm, the CEO's office said in a statement.

Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM too has fielded its candidates from Ghaziabad, Kundarki and Meerapur seats, while the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) of Chandrashekhar is contesting on all seats except Sisamau.

Ninety candidates are in the fray in the bypolls, with the maximum of 14 candidates in Ghaziabad, while there are five candidates each in Khair (SC) and Sisamau constituencies.

The results of the bypolls, however, will not have any direct impact on the 403-member legislative assembly but the contest has become a prestige issue for both BJP and SP.

While the SP is aiming to increase its tally further in the House, the BJP and its ally RLD will try to further consolidate their presence in the assembly.

At present, the BJP has 251 MLAs followed by the SP with 105. BJP allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) has 13 MLAs, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has 8, SBSP 6 and NISHAD party has 5 MLAs.

The Congress and Jansatta Dal Loktantrik have two MLAs each, while the BSP has one MLA.

This will be the first electoral test of the INDIA bloc as well as the NDA in the politically-crucial state after the Lok Sabha elections.

Ahead of voting, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav urged voters to vote for his party.

In a post on X, he said, "I would like to ask all my voters, especially the young farmers, to help. The administration can only create disturbances in the elections. I hope the administration will work to protect the rights to save the Constitution given by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar."

State BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla took a dig at the SP saying, "Samajwadi Party is afraid of losing the bypolls. Akhilesh Yadav wants to escape responsibility by blaming the Election Commission for the defeat."

"Due to fear of defeat, the SP is making childish demands from the Election Commission that identity cards should not be checked. Whereas in the past, women wearing burqas have been caught doing fake voting by wearing burqas."

Shukla was referring to a recent letter written by SP's state unit chief Shyam Lal Pal in which he had requested the Election Commission to issue instructions that "on the day of polling, no police personnel should check the voter ID card of the voter".

Pal, citing the handbook for returning officers, said on the day of polling, the ID of the voter could be checked by the polling officer.

RLD spokesperson Ankur Saxena said his party is going to retain the Meerapur seat, while the NDA will make a clean sweep by winning all the constituencies where bypolls are taking place.

Spokesperson of Uttar Pradesh Congress Manish Hindvi said, "The people of the state have made their choice clear in the Lok Sabha elections, in which the INDIA bloc got the maximum seats. This momentum will definitely carry on further in the bypolls."

Traders' body Bhartiya Udyog Vyapaar Mandal has also appealed to traders to ensure hundred per cent voting.

"We will first present an example through hundred per cent voting and then in subsequent elections, we will have dialogue with other organisations to join our endeavour," Ravikant Garg, president of the Bhartiya Udyog Vyapaar Mandal, told PTI.

While eight of the constituencies going to polls fell vacant after the sitting MLAs fought the Lok Sabha elections and won, polling is Sisamau is being conducted after incumbent SP MLA Irfan Solanki was convicted in a criminal case.

In the 2022 Assembly polls, Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal and Kundarki were held by the SP, while the BJP won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair. The Meerapur seat was won by RLD.