62 pc vote in first phase of UP poll
Battle for states: Voters brave rain to throng booths
The first phase of polling in 55 Assembly constituencies spread across ten districts in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday recorded an estimated 62 per cent turnout, much more than the previous Assembly polls.
The percentage could increase as a large number of people were in queues outside the polling booths at 5:00 pm the scheduled time for polling to end. All of them were allowed to exercise their franchise. The Sitapur district recorded the highest turn out at 63 per cent.
According to the state election office, the polling, which was held amidst tight security arrangements, was peaceful with no untoward incident being reported from anywhere.
The turnout could be called impressive, considering the heavy rain that lashed parts of the state, including the areas where polling was held on Wednesday, the election officials said. In the previous Assembly polls in 2007, the polling percentage was a mere 46.
Moderate to heavy rain lashed several districts of the state. In many areas, voters were seen standing in queues outside the polling booths with umbrellas while at some places the booths remained deserted in downpour the early hours.
The polling was a mere five per cent two hours after it began because of the heavy rain.
The polling percentage, however, picked up as the day passed and the rain stopped. A long queue of voters was seen before the polling booths at Ayodhya, Sitapur, Faizabad, Barabanki and other places, according to officials.
Women and young voters also came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise at many places, officials said.
But at Jamunahan village in the Gonda district, only 6 votes out of 1500 had been cast at the end of the polling. The people boycotted polling as there was no development in the area.
Tight security arrangements were made to ensure free and fair polling, the officials said adding that the polling was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere.
Over 50 thousand Central paramilitary troopers and about ten thousand PAC jawans along with the state police personnel had been deployed at over 18 thousand polling stations to ensure peaceful polling, officials said.
The districts where the polling was held on Wednesday included Faizabad, Barabanki, Shravasti Sitapur, Basti, Balrampur, Gonda, Baharaich, Ambedkar Nagar and Siddharth Nagar.
The improved turn out was attributed to the awareness drive launched by the Election Commission. At one place an old woman was seen asking the people to exercise their franchise.
