E-Paper
52% voter turnout recorded in first phase of UP civic polls
Polling by and large peaceful barring a few brawls and incidents of stone-pelting in Amroha and Lakhimpur Kheri districts; repolling may be ordered at some places
LUCKNOW Around 52% of the 2.40 crore eligible voters turned up to exercise their franchise in the first phase of voting for the urban local body (ULB) polls in 37 districts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, according to the State Election Commission (SEC). The average voter turnout in these districts was a little more than 58% in 2017 civic polls.
With 38.62% turnout, Lucknow was among districts that registered the lowest voting percentage. The turnout in Varanasi was 40.58%, Prayagraj 33.61%, Agra 40.32% and Gorakhpur 42.43. Maharajganj, an eastern UP district, recorded the highest voter turnout at 66.48%.
The polling, by and large, passed off peacefully barring a few brawls and incidents of stone-pelting in Amroha and Lakhimpur Kheri districts.
In Amroha, six people were injured and four vehicles, including three buses and a private car of a police personnel, damaged in stone-pelting when supporters of BJP and BSP clashed, accusing each other of bogus voting by women in burqa. In Lakhimpur, SP supporters allegedly attacked the son of BJP chairman candidate.
“Polling in the first phase was peaceful in all the districts, barring stray incidents at one or two places,” state election commissioner (SEC) Manoj Kumar told HT.
“The commission has ordered repoll for ward no 3 of Chakiya Nagar panchayat in Chadauli district on technical grounds,” he added.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was among those who cast their vote early. He reached the polling booth in Gorakhpur, his assembly constituency, minutes after polling started, and happened to be the first voter to exercise his franchise at the booth.
Speaking to media persons after casting his vote, Adityanath exhorted people to exercise their franchise, saying, “Voting is not only a democratic right, but also a duty given by the makers of our Constitution.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati were among the prominent persons who cast their votes in the state capital while another deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya exercised his franchise in Prayagraj.
The voting took place from 7am to 6pm at 23,626 polling booths under 7,368 polling centres in 37 districts.
The districts that went to polls on Thursday were Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Mainpuri, Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Hardoi, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shrawasti, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli and Jaunpur.
In the first phase, elections were held for 7,678 posts, including 10 mayors, 820 corporators, 103 nagar palika parishad chairpersons, 2,740 nagar palika parishad members, 275 nagar panchayat chairpersons and 3,645 nagar panchayat members. Altogether 44,232 candidates were in the fray in the opening round.
The second phase of the ULB polls in the remaining 38 districts is scheduled for May 11. Votes for both phases will be counted on May 13. The civic polls in UP are being seen as a test for all the main political players ahead of the Lok Sabha elections early next year.
