New Delhi: Over 57 percent voting was recorded during the fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh elections on Monday, the Election Commission said.
The day-long poll process remained largely peaceful in 51 Assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts of the state.
"57.36 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm and the figure is likely to go up as several voters waited in queues to exercise their franchise," UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said.
Dev said elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure free and fair elections.
"The voting, in all constituencies, passed off peacefully," he said, as per IANS.
Though the exercise remained slow during the the first two hours in morning, it picked up pace gradually with the first-time voters seen exercising their franchise quite enthusiastically.
Prominent contestants in the phase included controversial minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from the ruling Samajwadi Party, who is facing Amita Singh from Congress and BJP's Garima Singh in Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Rahul Gandhi.Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Rahul Gandhi.
Prajapati, against whom an FIR has been lodged in an alleged rape case, said the people were with him and there was a strong wave in the favour of SP.
"Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will become the CM again," he claimed, as per PTI.
Amita, wife of Congress leader Sanjay Singh, hoped people would support the best candidate "and I will definitely win."
Garima, the first wife of Sanjay, on the other hand said there was no development in the constituency and people were facing problems.
The districts that went to polls in the Vth phase are Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Basti, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi and Sultanpur.
Faizabad is another hot seat with BJP's Ram Temple issue once again figuring in its election manifesto this time.
Ayodhya Assembly seat, which falls in Faizabad district, used to be a traditional stronghold of BJP since the Ram Temple movement days. But it was snatched by SP in 2012. This time the saffron party is trying to wrest it back.
(With Agency inputs)
