Over 23 per cent polling recorded in Uttar Pradesh till 11 AM

Over 23.67 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first four hours in Uttar Pradesh, where polling is underway on 18 seats to decide the fate of 328 candidates including Narendra Modi, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal.

Over 3 crore voters, including 1.42 crore women, will be exercising their franchise at 19,881 polling centres to decide the fate of 328 candidates including 14 women and various political stalwarts.

Domariyaganj recorded 23. 50, Maharajganj 24.20, Gorakhpur 23.60, Kushinagar 22.80, Deoria 25.40, Bansgaon 25.30, Lalganj 24.80, Azamgarh 23.40, Ghosi 23.10 , Salempur 22.80, Ballia 23.10, Jaunpur 22.00 , Mchchlishahr 22.60 , Ghazipur 24.00 , Chandauli 26.00 ,Varanasi , 22.80, Mirzapur 21.82 and Robertsganj 24.78  per cent votes were cast, election office sources said.

There were reports of technical snags in EVMs at some places which have been set right, they said.

In Chandauli there were complaints of pictures of SP leaders being displayed on laptops in the polling stations which have also been removed, the sources added.

A report from Maharajganj said that there are reports of snag in polling machines in three polling stations of Nautenwa, Panera and Sadar and in a village in Ballia was boycotting polling.

While maximum number of 42 candidates are in fray from Varanasi, minimum of 12 candidates are contesting from Bansgaon.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party had clinched six seats from the region, BSP 5, BJP 4 and Congress had managed 3 seats. Interestingly, BSP had registered marginal loss and ended up in the second place in 12 seats.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, 46.55 per cent votes were polled in these constituencies, while in 2012 assembly polls the percentage was 56.28.