Voters throng polling booths as phase 1 of UP assembly polls picks up pace- In Pics
Polling is going on peacefully in Uttar Pradesh today with an average of over 20 per cent votes being cast in the first four hours, Election Commission officials said.
20.03% voter turnout recorded till 11 am
Technical error in EVMs at some places
"Average 20.03 per cent polling was witnessed in UP in first four hours (7 am-11 am)," an Election Commission (EC) official said. Additional Chief Election Officer (ACEO) B D Ram Tiwari said polling is going on peacefully. "There were reports of a technical error in EVMs at some places. Those EVMs are being replaced," he said.
Polling picks up pace in Uttar Pradesh
Agra has recorded 20.30 per cent polling, Aligarh 17.91 per cent, Baghpat 22.30 per cent, Bulandshahr 21.62 per cent, Gautam Buddh Nagar 19.23 per cent, Ghaziabad 18.24 per cent, Hapur 22.80 per cent, Mathura 20.73 per cent, Meerut 18.54 per cent, Muzaffarnagar 22.65 per cent and Shamli 22.83 per cent.
50,000 paramilitary security personnel deployed
623 candidates in fray
As many as 623 candidates including 73 women are in the fray in the first phase and around 2.28 crore voters including 1.24 crore men and 1.04 women besides others are eligible to cast their franchise, officials of the state election commission said. The state ministers whose fate will be decided in the first phase of voting include Shrikant Sharma, Suresh Rana, Sandeep Singh, Kapil Dev Agarwal, Atul Garg and Chowdhury Lakshmi Narain.
Polling in Jat-dominated belt of western UP
The first phase of polling covers the Jat-dominated belt of western UP from where farmers had participated actively in the stir against the Centre's three agri laws in the national capital. These districts include Shamli, Meerut, Hapur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Mathura.