Gokarannath bypoll: Over 33 per cent votes polled till 1 pm, SP alleges booth capture by BJP

A voter turnout of over 33 per cent has been recorded in the first six hours of polling in the Gola Gokarannath assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are underway on Thursday.

While a senior official said voting was going on peacefully, the Samajwadi Party (SP) alleged that some polling centres have been captured by workers of the ruling BJP.

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"Polling centres in Lalahapur, Madanpur and Lakshmanjati in Gola Gokarannath assembly have been captured by BJP workers. SP voters, booth in-charges and agents have been driven away. The Election Commission should take cognisance of this and ensure fair polls," the SP tweeted in Hindi.

However, District Magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh ruled out the allegations, saying he personally visited the three polling centres but found no such thing.

"In Madanpur, a Samajwadi Party agent was found and he accepted that there was nothing wrong. Also, webcasting of these centres is on," he added.

The senior official said, "In the initial six hours, 33.58 per cent votes have been polled."

Over 3.90 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of seven contestants in the fray. Polling started at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.

The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri on September 6.

The BSP and the Congress are keeping away from the poll this time. The main contest is between the BJP's Aman Giri, the son of Arvind Giri, and Samajwadi Party candidate and former Gola Gokarannath MLA Vinay Tiwari.

In the initial hours, more number of voters in rural areas came out to vote as compared to those in urban areas. Both the candidates have cast their vote.

The BJP's campaign was led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Gola Gokarannath is part of Union minister Ajay Mishra's Lakhimpur Kheri parliamentary constituency. Mishra has been in the eye of a storm following the killing of four farmers during an incident of violence in October last year. His son is an accused in the case.

During the campaigning, Adityanath had assured the electorate of clearing sugarcane dues at the earliest and the establishment of a Chhoti Kashi corridor along the lines of Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi and a medical college.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav did not campaign and it was led by the state president Naresh Uttam.

The outcome of the bypoll will not have much impact on the state government with the BJP and its allies enjoying an overwhelming majority in the 403-member Assembly. However, it would be a test of strength between the rivals in the run-up to the 2024 general elections.