The first phase of the seven-phase election in Uttar Pradesh saw a voter turnout of 60.17% on Thursday, 10 February.
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 today 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 UP state assembly polls are essentially a contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance
There are a total of 623 candidates contesting in the 58 constituencies in the first phase
In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won 53 seats out of 58, while the SP and the BSP had got two seats each, and the RLD had won one seat.
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Chief Electoral Officer Address the Press
Chief Electoral Officer on Thursday, 10 February, addressed the press regarding the first phase of voting for Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.
"Polling has been conducted peacefully and no untoward incident was reported anywhere," he said.
Harassed & Boycotted: How Hindutva Vigilantes Target Muslim Vendors Across UP
In the run up to the UP Assembly Elections, The Quint specifically looked at the disturbing phenomenon of communal targeting of Muslim vendors in four different districts across West UP.
In Bulandshahr, a shoe seller was compelled to shut shop due to harassment, despite being in debt.
In Mathura, a harassed dosa seller changed his stall name from ’Sri Nath’ to ‘American’ dosa corner.
Meanwhile, Agra’s meat sellers struggle to get their license renewed.