E-Paper
UP polls: Ayodhya records 61.06 turnout, surpasses 2017 mark
Polling went off peacefully in the temple town which had registered 60.89 percent voter turnout in the 2017 assembly polls
Improving its previous mark of 60.89 percent polling of 2017 polls, Ayodhya registered 61.06 percent voter turnout in the fifth phase of voting in the ongoing 2022 UP assembly polls on Sunday. The polling figure was till 5pm and was likely to go up.
Among the five assembly constituencies of Ayodhya, only Milkipur recorded less than 60 percent polling but it still bettered its 2017 performance. According to district magistrate/district election officer, Ayodhya, Nitish Kumar the Milkipur assembly segment recorded 59.92 percent voter turnout. In the last UP assembly polls, the segment had recorded 58.33 percent polling.
Polling percentage in Ayodhya Sadar assembly seat went down marginally as compared to 2017 polls as the constituency recorded 60.41 percent voter turnout as against 61.72 percent in the last assembly polls. Rudauli assembly constituency, a predominantly rural assembly seat, recorded 61.49 percent polling as against 62.43 percent in the 2017 assembly polls.
Another rural assembly segment, Bikapur assembly constituency recorded 62.65 percent voter turnout up from 61.58 percent in the last election. Polling percentage in Gosainganj assembly seat went up marginally. According to the district election officer, Gosainganj recorded 60.85 percent polling as against 60.38 percent in 2017.
Ayodhya district magistrate/district election officer Nitish Kumar and senior superintendent of police Shailesh Kumar Pandey inspected sensitive polling booths in Gosainganj assembly constituency and other parts of the district.
“No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in Ayodhya during polling. Polling went off peacefully,” said Kumar. Polling started at a slow pace but picked up as the day progressed and by 5pm more than 50 percent polling was recorded in all assembly segments. In the last one hour of the polling from 5pm to 6pm, voters turned up in large numbers to exercise their franchise.
