An average 21.18 per cent voting was recorded in the first four hours of polling in 59 Assembly constituencies spread across 16 districts of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

According to the data shared by the Election Commission, the average polling percentage till 11 am was 22.67 per cent in Hathras, 24.32 per cent in Firozabad, 22.54 per cent in Kasganj, 24.30 per cent in Etah, 24.46 per cent in Mainpuri, 19.64 per cent in Farrukhabad, 22 per cent in Kannauj, 19.84 per cent in Etawah, 18.53 per cent in Auraiya, 19.86 per cent in Kanpur Dehat, 16.79 per cent in Kanpur Nagar, 21.66 per cent in Jalaun, 19.11 per cent in Jhansi, 25.80 per cent in Lalitpur, 23.30 per cent in Hamirpur and 23.50 per cent in Mahoba.

As many as 627 candidates are in the fray in this phase, in which over 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote.

The districts where polling is being held are Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba.

The Karhal assembly seat, from where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting, is also going to the polls in this phase. The BJP has fielded Union minister S P Singh Baghel from the seat.

Sunday's polling will also seal the fate of the Samajwadi Party chief's uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is contesting from his traditional Jaswantnagar seat.

Among the prominent political leaders who cast their votes on Sunday are Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Shivpal Singh Yadav, Ramgopal Yadav, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and UP minister Satish Mahana.

Meanwhile, Kanpur Mayor Pramila Pandey and former BJP office bearer Nawab Singh have landed in trouble as they revealed the parties they voted for.

FIRs are being registered against them.

Pandey took her mobile phone inside the polling booth at Hudson School, and clicked a selfie while exercising her right following which an FIR was being lodged against her, said a senior official.

The mayor has shared video that has gone viral on social media platforms.

District Magistrate Neha Sharma said the Kanpur Mayor has violated the rules of the Election Commission by revealing the name of the party she voted for.

Former city president of BJP's Yuva Morcha was also caught violating EC rules. Singh also took a mobile inside the booth and shot a video while casting vote.

The Election Commission has banned use of mobile phones inside polling stations.

In the 2017 UP Assembly elections, the polling percentage in these 16 districts was 62.21 per cent, the Election Commission said.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 49 of the 59 seats while the SP had settled for nine. The Congress had got one seat while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) drew a blank.

The 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases. The results are scheduled to be announced on March 10.