The first phase of the seven-phase election in Uttar Pradesh, held on Thursday, 10 February, saw a voter turnout of 60.17%.
Polling began at 7 am for 58 Assembly seats in 11 districts – spanning the Jat-dominant belt of western UP.
The 11 districts where the elections were held in this first phase are Shamli, Hapur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, and Agra.
As the curtains came down on the first phase, the Chief Electoral Officer addressed the press and said:
"Polling has been conducted peacefully and no untoward incident was reported anywhere.”
The state of Uttar Pradesh is polling in seven phases. The results will be declared on 10 March.
Visuals Emerge From Polling Centres Across UP
Visuals emerging from the state showed people queuing up at various booths to exercise their franchise.
People wait in a queue to cast their votes at a poling Station, during the first phase of UP Assembly elections, in Dadri.
(Photo: PTI)
Polling booths in Ghaziabad also welcomed voters with drums.
'Smooth and Fair Voting is EC's Biggest Responsibility': Akhilesh Yadav
Meanwhile, reports of EVM malfunctioning also emerged from parts of the state, with Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav appealing to the Election Commission to take appropriate action.
"There is an appeal to the Election Commission and at the same time it is expected that wherever there are allegations of EVM malfunctioning or deliberately slowing down the polling, it should immediately take appropriate action at those polling stations.”Akhilesh Yadav
"'Smooth and fair voting' is the biggest responsibility of the Election Commission," he added.
Meanwhile amid reports of EVM malfunctioning and a thinly veiled jibe alluding to the farmers' anger against the BJP, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said:
"There are complaints about EVM malfunctioning. It seems youth and farmers are pushing the button in full rage!! Request you to press the button not so hard, in favor of the alliance with love.”
Priyanka Gandhi Campaigns Door-to-Door in UP’s Rampur
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi conducted a door-to-door campaign in Rampur on Thursday. Sharing visuals of her campaign, the Congress Party tweeted:
“Dear citizen, vote for those who prioritise you.”
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary campaigned in Bijnor.
PM Modi Addresses Rally in Saharanpur
PM Modi, addressing a rally in Saharanpur, said:
"The people of Saharanpur region have decided to vote for the one who will take UP to new heights of development. Will vote for the one who will keep UP riot-free.”
"We will vote for the one who will keep our sisters and daughters free from fear. We will vote for the one who sends criminals to jail," he said. The prime minister added that the praise he has acquired from Muslim women has caused a stomach-ache for some.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, whose son Pankaj is contesting the UP polls from Noida too urged people to go out and vote.
'Beware, or UP Will Become Kashmir, Kerala or Bengal': Says Yogi, Garners Flak
Ahead of polling in the state, UP CM Adityanath had credited his government with "a lot of wonderful things," which he claimed, "have happened in these five years under the double engine government." He went on to attack other states and say:
"I have to tell you something that is there in my heart. You have seen it yourself. Beware! If you falter, the labour of these five years will be spoiled. It would not take much time for Uttar Pradesh to become Kashmir, Kerala, and Bengal."
Reacting to this remark, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that UP would enjoy better amenities and facilities if it turned into Kerala.
"If UP turns into Kerala as Yogi Adityanath fears, it will enjoy the best education, health services, social welfare, living standards and have a harmonious society in which people won't be murdered in the name of religion and caste. That's what the people of UP would want," Vijayan tweeted
Subsequently, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah too said:
"He (UP CM Adityanath) should be so lucky. J&K has less poverty, better human development indices, less crime and generally better standards of living than UP. What we lack is good governance over the last 3-4 years but that is a temporary phenomenon.”
Adityanath’s barb was also criticised by RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhary.
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