E-Paper
UP Polls: Second phase peaceful as around 60 per cent vote
Polling in 55 assembly constituencies, spread over nine districts of Saharanpur, Moradabad and Bareilly divisions, remained peaceful in the second phase of the UP assembly elections on Monday
Polling in 55 assembly constituencies, spread over nine districts of Saharanpur, Moradabad and Bareilly divisions, remained peaceful in the second phase of the UP assembly elections on Monday.
Around 60 per cent of the over 20 million voters cast their vote till 5 pm in the nine districts to decide the fate of 586 candidates.
With Monday’s polling, the fate of Azam Khan, his son Abdullah Azam Khan, ministers Suresh Khanna, Mahesh Gupta and Baldev Singh Aulakh was sealed.
Meanwhile, there were a few complaints of EVM malfunctioning in Dhanaura (Dhampur, Bijnor), Gunnaur (Sambhal), Nakud (Saharanpur) and Chandausi (Sambhal); slow polling in booth no 55 of Behat and villagers being deprived of casting vote because of irregularities in voters’ list in Kheras Khera village of Kundarki (Moradabad), and few other places.
In some areas of Bareilly division, too, polling was affected due to EVM snags. However, polling was restored within an hour.
Polling started at 7am and voting percentage on seats in respective districts till 5 pm was: Saharanpur (7 seats) 67.05%;
Amroha (4 seats) 65.51%; Sambhal (4 seats) 56.88 %;
Bijnore (8 seats) 61.44%; Moradabad (6 seats) 63.46 % and Rampur (5 seats) 60.10 % (all six districts in Saharanpur and Moradabad divisions).
In three districts of Bareilly division, polling was recorded at:
Bareilly (9 seats) 57.88 %; Shajahanpur (six seats) 55.25 percent and Badaun (six seats) 55.91 percent till 5pm.
Additional director general (ADG) of police, Bareilly zone, Raj Kumar visited polling booths in Bijnor and other constituencies, while district magistrates (DMs) and superintendents of police (SPs) of respective districts made rounds to ensure peaceful and fair elections.
DM of Amroha B K Tripathi said reports of EVM malfunctioning and non-functioning of VVPAT were received but the issues were immediately resolved. He claimed that polling went off peacefully and hassle-free, thereafter.
Several issues were tweeted by Samajwadi Party at regular intervals to bring them to the notice of the election commission
In one tweet, SP accused SHO of Bilari police station in Thakurdwara constituency of working to support BJP and stopping SP voters from casting votes. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the SHO.
In another tweet, SP alleged that voters of a particular community were not allowed to cast their votes in booth number 74 of Dhampur constituency in Bijnor. Police, however, denied the charges.
The party also accused the presiding officer in booth number 149 for casting votes himself and stopping voters to cast votes.
The BJP had won 19 of these 34 seats in Saharanpur and Moradabad divisions in the 2017 elections. The SP had bagged 13 seats and Congress won 2 seats (Behat and Saharanpur Dehat) in Saharanpur district. Both the party’s MLAs -- Masood Akhtar and Naresh Saini – have quit the party along with party leader Imran Masood. Saini joined BJP and contested election from Behat and Masood Akhtar didn’t get ticket from SP.
Election in Rampur and Suar remained in limelight as SP leader Azam Khan (currently in jail) is contesting from Rampur as SP candidate. His son Abdullah Azam Khan, who was released on bail last month, is in fray from Suar seat.
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi cast his vote along with his wife at Daniyapur booth of Rampur. He joined the queue of voters and waited for his turn to cast his vote.
Former minister Dharam Singh Saini also cast his vote along with his family members at Sonapur booth of Saharanpur Dehat constituency. Saini is contesting as SP-RLD candidate on Nakud seat of Saharanpur. He is sitting MLA on this seat and left BJP ahead of the election.
Cricketer Mohd Shami cast his vote in his parental village Sahaspur, Alinagar. Speaking there, he said more development was needed in the area. “I always believe that health, education and sports have wide scope for development in my area,” said Shami.
In Bareilly, Santosh Gangwar, a senior BJP leader and former union minister, cast his vote along with his family members and said, “BJP will come back to power with a good majority.”
“We voted for a change. I think youth will go with the party that will provide job opportunities for them,” said Niharika Shukla, a college-goer in Bareilly.
“Polling went off peacefully. There were some cases of EVM malfunctioning but they were tackled and no work was hindered,” said Shiva Kant Diwedi, district magistrate, Bareilly
In Bareilly division, the district administration had made elaborate arrangements of mask, sanitisers, gloves and thermal scanners to keep a check Covid 19 infection. However, no social distancing was witnessed at several polling centres.
