Now Reading: Ghaziabad, Noida, Varanasi schools shut for UP Council polls
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Ghaziabad, Noida, Varanasi schools shut for UP Council polls
The Story in Brief
Schools and colleges across Ghaziabad, Noida and Varanasi districts were closed on Friday (23 October) as Uttar Pradesh voted for 11 Legislative Council seats. The holiday applied to all institutions from nursery to Class 12 and higher education, covering government, aided, unaided, CBSE and ICSE-affiliated schools, as ordered by district education officers.
Polling on Friday decides the fate of 152 candidates for five graduates' and six teachers' constituencies in the Meerut division. Voting runs 8 am to 4 pm by ballot at 2,697 polling stations, with 14,81,310 eligible electors. Counting is scheduled for 27 October. The ruling BJP and Samajwadi Party are contesting all 11 seats in a direct contest ahead of assembly elections.
Council seats fell vacant as the tenures of existing MLCs end on 6 December. Schools will reopen on Monday, 26 October.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India TV News and News24 Online both provide detailed straight coverage of the school closure and election facts, with India TV adding constituency-wise candidate and electorate figures. Times Now reports the same closure for Noida and Ghaziabad, citing a government order, and includes a basic explanation of MLC elections. The three outlets do not differ in framing: all report the official announcement neutrally, with no government-critical or opposition-sensitive language. None of the sources discuss any controversy, security incidents, or abstention calls. The uniform coverage leaves the key open question as to whether the high number of graduate and teacher candidates, 152 for 11 seats, will translate into a clear verdict before the assembly elections.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): indiatvnews.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report), news24online.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 23 October 2026: this story now draws on 3 sources.
Update, 23 October 2026: further reports on this story from tv9hindi.com.
