Lucknow, April 23 -- Bracing a sudden rise in the mercury level, an estimated 12 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise during the first two hours of voting in Uttar Pradesh in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday.

Polling was underway in 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state to decide the electoral fate of four members of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan, besides that of senior party leader Azam Khan and film actor and BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

The seats are spread over the Rohilkhand region of the state where the BJP had won seven out of 10 seats in 2014.

The areas where the voting is taking place is considered SP strongholds as three of the total five members of the Yadav family had won from this region ...