More than 65% of the voters cast their ballots by 5 pm on Wednesday in the bypoll for the Milkipur assembly constituency, surpassing the turnout recorded in the 2022 assembly polls, the Election Commission of India data showed.
There are 3.70 lakh registered voters in the constituency, where polling began at 7 am and concluded at 5 pm, though those in line before the deadline were allowed to vote.
The bypoll has become a highly contested race, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vying for control of the politically significant seat in Ayodhya district.
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The final voter turnout, which will be released by the poll commission shortly, is expected to rise as many people remained in queues past the cutoff time.
Allegations of bogus voting
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged "fake voting" and rigging by officials, but senior police officers rejected the charge and said voting is going on peacefully at all polling stations.
{{/usCountry}}Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged "fake voting" and rigging by officials, but senior police officers rejected the charge and said voting is going on peacefully at all polling stations.
{{/usCountry}}Yadav posted on social media platform X an audio clip from a purported sting and said, "This is a sting operation of the truth of presiding officers who are fulfilling the target of fake voting for the ruling party."
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"This is a murder of democracy by indirectly influencing voting by creating fear among voters. Such people should be removed immediately and punitive action should be taken," he said, attaching a picture with his post.
UP Police denies Akhilesh Yadav's allegation
However, Ayodhya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raj Karan Nayyar strongly denied the allegations, clarifying that the photo in question showed police verifying the identification of a polling agent, not voters.
Uttar Pradesh police have assured that voting has been peaceful at all polling stations.
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Talking to reporters, IG Pravin Kumar said, "Voting is going on peacefully at all polling stations. Magistrates and police officers are on patrol. Paramilitary forces have been deployed at important polling stations."
Milkipur Assembly bypoll
Bypoll to the Milkipur assembly constituency was held on Wednesday. The voting began at 7 am and continued till 5 pm, officials said, adding those who queued up outside poll booths before that would be allowed to vote.
More than 1.93 lakh men and over 1.78 lakh women voters and eight third-gender people are registered to vote for the bypoll. There are 4,811 first-time voters in the assembly constituency.