First Phase of UP Polls Witness ‘Exemplary’ 64% Turnout: EC
Catch all the updates from Uttar Pradesh state Assembly elections on The Quint!
- Voting percentage in phase I of UP polls peggged at 64 percent
- Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi release SP-Congress alliance’s Common Minimum Programme
- The list of 10 promsies for the people of Uttar Pradesh includes smartphones, skill development, free cycles and homes for the poor
- Polling for 73 assembly constituencies across 15 districts in western UP began at 7 am
- A total of 839 candidates are in the fray
64 Percent Voter Turnout in UP
The first phase of UP polls in 73 assembly constituencies on Saturday witnessed an "exemplary" 64.22 percent voter turnout.
The Election Commission did not give the figures of voter turnout on the corresponding seats in the 2012 assembly polls, but said the percentage recorded was higher than the 58.62 overall turnout recorded in the state then.
The overall turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls was 59.12 percent.
Deputy Election Commissioner in charge of Uttar Pradesh Vijay Dev termed the turnout as "exemplary" and said it will "set the tone for the remaining six phases" to be held between 15 February and 8 March.
Referring to incidents of violence, he said though mobs had gathered at some places, timely police action ensured that there were no poll-related violence, injury or casualty.
During the polls, held across 15 districts, 42 electronic voting machines (EVM) and 52 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines had to be replaced, which the official said was less than previous polls.
Enforcement agencies working under the Commission seized Rs 9.56 crore in cash and 4.44 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 14 crore.
The agencies also recovered drugs worth over Rs 96 lakh and precious metals such as gold and silver worth Rs 14 crore.
Polling Boycotted in Seven Places
People also boycotted polling in seven places, out of which authorities intervened and resolved six cases, Dev said.
In all the reported cases, fair compensation and construction of roads were the main issues. While people were convinced to vote at Kavi Nagar (Ghaziabad), Nangal Koti (Firozabad), Chhohari village and Majra (Mathura), people refused to vote in Bhagat Nagariya in Mathura.
During the day, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi held a joint press conference, showcasing their common minimum programme. It spoke about loan waivers and reduction of power tariffs.
PM Narendra Modi also spoke at a rally in Badaun where he took a dig at Congress, SP and BSP, saying that even after 70 years of independence, there has been no progress in Badaun. He said that there will be a new government in the state within a month and BJP had won 3 MLC seats, starting their winning streak.
Muyalam Supports Shivpal in Etawah
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav campaigned in Etawah, asking for people to vote for his brother Shivpal Yadav and make the party win and come to power again in Uttar Pradesh.
He did not mention his son Akhilesh or the alliance with Congress and Rahul Gandhi in his speech.
Overall voting in Uttar Pradesh’s phase 1 polls is 52.9 per cent till 3 pm.
This is how various constituencies have voted till 3 pm:
Amit Shah on SP-Congress Alliance
Senior BJP leader Amit Shah commented on the SP-Congress alliance, saying which son disappoints and betrays his father, a comment at Akhilesh Yadav.
Overall voting percentage in Uttar Pradesh elections first phase is 39.43 per cent at 1pm.
"These Politicians Will Be Jobless After Elections"
PM Modi spoke about the military might of the country, given how Pakistan is advancing their capabilities.
Modi declared that Indian scientists have come up with a missile that can go up to 150 km in the atmosphere and destroy any other enemy missile, right there.
He said that political parties will ask him proof for the same but he had only one thing to say to them.
"Janata Modi ko Janta Hai"
PM Modi lashed out at all the politicians saying they take his name at rallies and call out his shortcomings, but said it’s the Uttar Pradesh election and the people know what Modi has done for the country.
"SP Sheltering Criminals"
Talking about the joblessness of the youth, he blamed Akhilesh Yadav saying that for his own personal and political gains, he hindered the future of the youth.
The youth take exams, pass and sit for interviews and then they need to go beg in front of others to help get jobs.
One Month and You Will See a New Government
PM Modi said that the BJP won 3 seats in the MLC on 11 February and a new government will come soon.
Taking a dig at the Congress-SP alliance, he said that the parties fought against each other for years and yet, to save their seats, they have come together but still, it was BJP which won 3 seats in the MLC.
"Acche Din Akilesh Ke Jaane Se Aayenge"
Prime Minister Modi said CM Akhilesh Yadav has questioned people asking “acche din aa gaye kya” but Modi said that it is his rule since the last five years, which has not let people see the “acche din” in the last five years.
"Women Are Not Safe"
He said that no matter what time of day women leave their house, women are not safe. Their parents are worried sick about them.
I am fighting against black money and said those who took from the poor, I will return to them.
He said that the BJP government works for the poor and it is them who has given work to me.
PM Modi Adresses Rally in Badaun
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a rally at Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. He criticised Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati saying the state has been under their control for a very long time.
"Shehazadon ka Gatbandhan"
Bhupendra Yadav from BJP has called the SP-Congress alliance a “shehazadon ka gatbandhan” or the “alliance of two princes”.
Leading In First Phase: Javadekar
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that according to reports, the BJP is leading in the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Polls.
28% Voting in Agra
Agra led the voting percentage in the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh in the first four hours as 28 per cent of the electorate cast their votes, an official said on Saturday.
The communally polarised Muzaffarnagar also saw brisk voting earlier and by 11 am the voting percentage hit 27. Firozabad, Mathura and Meerut were neck-to-neck at 21-22 per cent. The overall turnout has been 24 per cent in Uttar Pradesh till 11.
Noida, neighbouring New Delhi, where Pankaj Singh, son of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is contesting the elections as a BJP candidate registered 18 per cent in four hours.
Bright sunshine helped voter turnout to improve at many places, especially in the minority dominated areas.
The largest constituency in this phase, as per population, is Sahibabad in Ghaziabad and the smallest is Jalesar in Etah.
There are 26,822 polling centres for over two crore voters in this phase of polling for 73 seats across 15 districts. Fate of 839 candidates will be sealed on Saturday.
Sanjeev Balyan Casts Vote in Muzaffarnagar
Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan cast his vote in Muzaffarnagar
SP-BSP Supporters Clash in Meerut
Supporters of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) clashed on Saturday in Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh over issues relating to voting.
First, there was a minor clash in a polling booth in which one person was injured.
The two sides were pacified by security personnel deployed there but an altercation broke out later in the village where one side opened fire on another.
The two sides belonged to SP-BSP, an official confirmed, adding the situation was under control.
Rajnath Singh's Son Pankaj Singh Votes in Noida
Pankaj Singh said that the conversations he’s had with people in Noida makes him confident that BJP will come in power with a majority of 300 seats.
Shamli has recorded 29 per cent voting till 11 am.
'Congress-SP and BJP Trying to Misguide People'
BSP leader Mayawati has said that only her party can provide an ideal government in the state and that all the other parties are misguiding the people.
She said there is a big BSP wave across the state and lashed out at the BJP saying they have been in power in the centre for more than 2.5 years, yet they have barely fulfilled their promises.
BJP has won all three MLC seats in Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Bareilly where elections were held.
EC's 'Third Eye' Monitoring UP Polls
The Election Commission is extensively using information technology to ensure free and fair polling, an official said on Saturday. The 'third eye' of the poll panel was keeping a close tab on each and every movement at 14,514 polling centres through 2,362 digital cameras, 1,526 video cameras and 2,857 web cameras, the official added.
UP Will Vote For Development: Mahesh Sharma
Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, who cast his vote in Noida, said the state will vote for development.
Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi Hit Back at Modi
On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressed their second joint press conference in Lucknow since the Congress and Samajwadi Party alliance was formed. The duo was present to launch the Congress-SP alliance's common minimum programme.
The leaders hit back at Narendra Modi’s recent verbal attacks on their alliance, including his recent corruption allegations against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The Prime Minister loves to peep into people’s bathrooms. He loves searching people on Google,” Gandhi said.
BJP MLA Kin Held with Pistol in Polling Booth
Gagan Som, brother of senior BJP leader and Sardhana legislator Sangeet Som, was detained on Saturday after a pistol was recovered from him, a police officer said. Som was detained by the police personnel on duty in Faridpur.
Spotting the pistol, the security personnel whisked Som away from inside the booth. Sangeet Som shot to limelight for his fiery speeches during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and was one of those named for inciting violence.
10.56% Voting Till 9 am
Till 9 am on Saturday, 10.5% voters had cast their votes in Aligarh, 12% in Bulandshahr and 15% in Muzaffarnagar. Overall, 10.56% voting took place till 9 am. Technical snags in the electronic voting machines, however, were reported in the first hour in polling booths across Noida, Baghpat, Hathras and Mathura.
BJP Leaders Sangeet Som, Lakshmikant Vajpayee Cast Vote
BJP MLA and Sardhana candidate Sangeet Som and another BJP leader Lakshmikant Vajpayee cast their votes in Meerut.
Voters in Baraut Greeted With Roses
In Baraut, voters for in for a ‘rosy’ surprise. Each voter is being greeted with roses by the EC officials for casting their vote.
First Phase of UP Elections: Quick Facts
Voting Underway in Shamli, Aligarh, Dadri
BJP Mathura Candidate Casts his Vote
Shrikant Sharma, the BJP candidate from Mathura, was among the early voters on Saturday morning.
Polling Begins Amid Tight Security
Polling for 73 assembly constituencies spread across 15 districts in western Uttar Pradesh began at 7.00 a.m. on Saturday amid tight security. In the first of the seven-phased staggered elections in the state.
A total of 839 candidates are in the fray. Police officials said adequate security arrangements have been made for the keenly-fought contest.
There are 2.59 crore voters who would exercise there franchise on February 11, of which 1.42 crore are men, 1.17 crore women and 1,511 from the third gender.
EC Cracks Whip, Transfers Officials in UP
Hours before the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday cracked the whip on the bureaucracy and police.
The poll panel officials said the District Magistrates of Bahraich, Deoria, Sonebhadra and Kannauj have been shifted with immediate effect.
Excise Commissioner Bhavnath has also been removed and Mratyunjaya Kumar Narayan posted in his place. Police chiefs of two districts – Hardoi and Ghazipur – have also been given marching orders by the EC.
Gorakhpur DIG Shivsagar Singh has been replaced by Neelabja Chowdhary, Azamgarh DIG Dharamveer has also been removed and Uday Shankar Jaiswal appointed in his place. IG Bareilly zone Vijay Singh Meena has also been replaced and Vijay Prakash given the charge.
Assem Arun has been named the new IG of Varanasi and Suvendra Kumar Bhagat removed from this post.
Facts and Figures
EC Seizes Cash Meant to Buy Votes
EC-appointed surveillance teams have seized Rs 108 crore in cash along with drugs and huge quantity of liquor worth over Rs 45 crore purportedly meant to buy votes in the three poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
The enforcement agencies have so far recovered Rs 108.59 crore in cash, 16.60 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 45.15 crore and drugs totalling to 2,823 kgs worth Rs 8.86 crore, according to latest data.
These agencies work under the direct supervision of the Election Commission during polls to ensure that cash, drugs, liquor and even precious metals like gold and silver are not used to influence voters.
Days of Campaigning End as First Phase of Polling Begins in UP
The time has finally come after days of campaigning and political controversies – Uttar Pradesh is finally going to polls, on Saturday.
In the first phase Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah and Kasganj will be holding elections for 73 seats.
A total of 839 candidates are in fray.
The elections for the remaining phases will end on 8 March.
After a long drawn Yadav drama that led to several breakups and patch ups in the Samajwadi Party, it formed an alliance with the Congress.
In the 2012 assembly polls, of the 73 seats – SP had won 24 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party 23, Bharatiya Janata Party 12, Rashtriya Lok Dal 9 and Congress 5 seats .
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all the 12 seats here and many veterans like Ajit Singh were drowned in the saffron surge.
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