Good turnout in 10 UP seats

An estimated 65 per cent electorate exercised their franchise in the ten Lok Sabha seats in western Uttar Pradesh that went to the polls on Thursday.

Barring a few stray incidents, polling was by and large peaceful, according to the Election Commission sources here. Saharanpur recorded the highest 70.64 per cent turnout while riot torn Muzaffarnagar constituency recorded 67.78 turnout. Bijnore seat from where film actor Jaya Prada was contesting as RLD nominee also recorded 67 per cent polling. Baghpat witnessed 65 per cent turn out while around 62 per cent electorate exercised their franchise on Meerut seat. Sources said that barring a few stray incidents, polling was peaceful.

In Baghpat’s Malakpur village, BJP nominee and former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh was allegedly attacked by some RLD workers when he was visiting a polling booth there. Stones were pelted at his vehicle but Singh escaped unhurt.
Samajwadi Party (SP) workers clashed with cops at a polling booth in Shamli district after some SP supporters were allegedly not allowed to cast their votes despite having voter I-cards, sources said.

SP and BSP supporters also clashed at a polling booth in Meerut district. At some places people complained their names did not exist in the voter’s list though they had identity cards issued by the EC.

With Thursday’s polling the fate Union minister Ajit Singh, former army chief V K Singh, film personalities including Jaya Prada, Raj Babbar and Nagma and Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Shazia Ilmi was sealed.

The ten seats that went to polls on Thursday included Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnore, Meerut, Kairana, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Saharanpur, Bulandshahar and Aligarh.