Uttar Pradesh Elections: 66% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 5 PM
Catch all the live updates on the second phase of Uttar Pradesh polls on The Quint.
- Over 65.5 percent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm
- Polling for 67 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh began on Wednesday morning
- These constituencies are spread over 11 districts of western UP
- Prominent candidates include controversial SP minister Azam Khan who is contesting from Rampur
- The EC has barred candidates from publishing advertisements in newspapers on Wednesday and Thursday without its approval.
Voter Turnout Till 5 pm
Around 65 percent polling was recorded in the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Wednesday, officials said.
"Polling for the second phase in up ended peacefully with around 65 percent polling," an election official said.
Maximum voting was reported from Saharanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri.
In the 2012 assembly polls, the average polling in these constituencies was 64 percent.
Rs 16.52 crore cash was seized along with 3.29 lakh liter liquor, 1.9 kg gold and drugs worth Rs 1.16 crore.
Dimple Yadav Talks in Lucknow
The Centre made people stand in queues and Mayawati has made elephants stand in queues, says Dimple Yadav.
Voter Turnout Till 2 pm
Over 45 percent turnout of voters was recorded till 2 pm in 67 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts of western Uttar Pradesh.
Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Voter turnout was recorded at 42.05 percent till 1pm. Here’s a breakdown of the turnout across constituencies:
Amroha - 44.75 percent
Badaun - 37.03 percent
Bareilly - 39.06 percent
Moradabad - 40.80 percent
Narendra Modi Addresses Rally in Kannauj
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Kannauj and said that the SP-Cong alliance will shatter the dreams of people.
He further added:
Of the SP-Congress alliance, PM Modi said that it’s like a “new film shooting on political stage in Uttar pradesh - before interval two parties fighting, and after interval embracing each other.”
Akhilesh Addresses Rally in Unnao
As the polling continued across western Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav addressed a rally in Unnao.
The Samajwadi leader attacked the Modi government and its supporters, accusing them of spreading hate.
Over 25 Percent Voting Till Noon
Over 25 percent of the electorate cast their votes till noon in the second phase of polling. Around 2.28 voters - including over 1.04 crore women - are expected to cast their votes in 14,771 polling centres and 23,693 polling stations for the second phase
Official sources said that while the polling started off slow, it picked up as the day wore on. No untoward incident was reported till noon, officials said.
Additionally, in some places like Badaun, drones were used for surveillance at poll booths.
First Time Voters, Newlyweds Line Up to Cast Ballot
At some places long queues were seen outside polling stations. First time voters were found to be enthusiastic, taking selfies proudly showing indelible ink imprint on their fingers.
Muslim women in burqas were seen outside several booths, while the picture of a newly married couple going to cast vote in Bareilly went viral on social media.
Elaborate arrangements have been made for free and fair polling with deployment of 51,771 police constables, 52,598 homeguards, 5,397 sub-inspectors and 3,666 head constables to maintain law and order.
Drones Being Used for Surveillance at Poll Booths
Mukhtar Naqvi's 115-Yr-Old Grandfather Casts Vote
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s 115-year-old maternal grandfather, Zurriyat Hussain Kazmi, cast his vote in Bareilly.
BJP Changes Varanasi Candidate
Amidst the polling brouhaha, the BJP changed its Varanasi South candidate. Neelkanth Tiwari will now contest instead of Shyamdev Rai Chaudhary.
Voter Turnout As of 11 AM
The first few hours of polling in the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections saw 24.14 percent voters exercising their franchise in 67 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts of the western part of the state.
The districts where polling is on, amid tight security arrangements, are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Badaun.
Additionally, on an average, over 10.5 percent votes were polled in first two hours till 9 am, office of UP Chief Electoral officer said in Lucknow.
The Moradabad district recorded 11 percent voter turnout by 9 am.
Minister of State (Finance) and BJP member Santosh Gangwar and his wife Saubhagya Gangwar cast their votes in Bareilly.
BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi cast his vote in Rampur while former Union Minister Jitin Prasada cast his vote in Shajahanpur.
Prasad, who is contesting the polls on a Congress ticket from Tilhar, expressed hope that the alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP) will form the next government.
Urdu poet Wasim Barelvi and his wife also cast their votes in Bareilly.
Polling underway in 67 Assembly seats in western UP
Polling began on Wednesday morning in 67 Assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts of western Uttar Pradesh figuring in the second phase of voting.
The districts where polling is on amid tight security arrangements are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Badaun.
Official sources said that elaborate arrangements have been made for free and fair polling.
Of the 67 seats at stake, ruling Samajwadi Party had won 34 in 2012, followed by BSP 18, BJP 10, Congress three and others two.
In this phase, 721 candidates are in the fray with a maximum of 22 from Barhapur (Bijnor) and a minimum of four nominees from Dhanaura (Amroha).
Prominent contestants include controversial SP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, who are contesting from Rampur and Swar seats respectively, Saif Ali Naqvi, son of former Congress MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former central minister Jitin Prasada from Tilhar (Shahjahanpur), BJP Legislature Party leader Suresh Kumar Khanna from Shahjahanpur city and state minister Mehboob Ali from Amroha.
The Election Commission has barred political parties and candidates from publishing advertisements in newspapers on Wednesday and Thursday without its approval. The EC has asked them to get the advertisements pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels before their publication.
The poll body said the decision has been taken in view of past instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature in print media on such occasions which vitiate the elections.
The next five phases of polling will be held on 19, 23, 27 February and on 4 and 8 March. Counting of votes will be taken up on 11 March.
PM Modi Appeals to Voters to Participate
On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the voters to step out and take part in the polls.
Dysfunctional Polling Machines Add to Woes of Voters
Reports emerged of disgruntled voters from Moradabad and Badaun Sadar. Voting was supposed to begin at 7 am, but it did not begin in the constituency at the scheduled time due to faulty voting machines.
Voters had to wait in queues for close to an hour in Badaun before it started.
Polling Begins in UP on Wednesday Morning
Uttar Pradesh Gearing Up For Second Phase
Security arrangements in place at a polling booth in Moradabad as 67 assembly constituencies will go to polls on Wednesday.
Key Stats on UP Polls
A total of 721 candidates are in the fray. Of the 2.28 crore voters, 1.23 crore are males. The maximum number of 28 candidates are in Kanth constituency and the least in Dhanaura which has five candidates. There are 82 women in the fray.
While the BJP and the BSP are fighting on all 67 second phase seats, the SP is contesting 51 seats and Congress 18 and the Rashtriya Lok Dal 53. Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Communist Party of India have also put up their candidates. There are 207 independents.
The staggered battle for the Uttar Pradesh assembly began on 11 February when 73 constituencies went to the polls. The first phase recorded 64.22 percent voter turn out which was better than 59.60 percent in 2012 and 45.96 percent in 2007.
The second phase of Uttar Pradesh state Assembly elections will take place in Sambhal, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Bijnore, Saharanpur and Budayun districts spread across Rohilkhand, Terai and northwestern parts of the state.
In some districts, including Rampur, Moradabad, Badayun and Bijnor, Muslim population is around 40 per cent.
The high-decibel campaign for the 67 seats ended on Monday evening with political parties pulling out all stops to woo voters. The state is having seven-phase elections for 402 of the 403 assembly seats (election to one seat has been countermanded) and results will be declared on 11 March.
The SP holds 34 of the 67 seats and had finished second in 18 others in 2012 polls. The Congress had won four and finished second in eight. The two parties are contesting the election in alliance.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won 17 and finished second in 22 others while the the BJP 10 and finished second in 15. Smaller outfits such as the Peace Party and Ittehadul-E-Millat Council had won one seat each in 2012.
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