Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first phase of polling held on Thursday across 58 assembly constituencies in 11 districts of Uttar Pradesh.Polling closed at 6 pm following a one-hour extension because of COVID-19 protocols. The day passed off peacefully with minor technical snags in EVMs at some places, election officials said.
Additional Chief Election Officer (ACEO) B D Ram Tiwari said, “There were reports of a technical error in EVMs at some places.” Those EVMs were being replaced as the reports came in, he added.On the Samajwadi Party’s allegation that poor voters were not allowed to exercise their franchise in Dundukheda village in the Kairana assembly constituency, Tiwari said the district magistrate concerned was asked to look into the matter.Agra recorded 60.33 per cent polling, Aligarh 60.49 per cent, Baghpat 61.35 per cent, Bulandshahr 60.52 per cent, Gautam Buddh Nagar 56.73 per cent, Ghaziabad 54.77 per cent, Hapur 60.50 per cent, Mathura 63.28 per cent, Meerut 60.91 per cent, Muzaffarnagar 65.34 per cent and Shamli 69.42 per cent, an EC report said.During the 2017 assembly elections, 63.47 per cent polling was recorded in these constituencies, the report said.”There was no untoward incident during the election and COVID-19 norms were strictly adhered to,” District Election Officer of Mathura Navneet Singh Chahal said, adding that there was some altercation in the Radhakund area of the Goverdhan seat but it was sorted out by the SDM and the police circle officer.There was a heated altercation between SP-RLD candidate Sanjai Lathar and Inspector Rakesh Kumar Singh, in-charge of the Mat police station.”We will lodge a complaint with the Election Commission and the SSP of Mathura alleging that activists of the RLD-SP combine were beaten up by police,” Lathar said.In Mathura too, a groom came to exercise his franchise before taking his bride home after the wedding. The man reached the polling booth directly after his marriage ceremony.
There were reports of technical snags in EVMs at some places, but voting was peaceful, they added.”An average 57.79 per cent polling was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh till 5 pm,” an official said.Additional Chief Election Officer (ACEO) B D Ram Tiwari said, “There were reports of a technical error in EVMs at some places.”
Those EVMs were being replaced as the reports came in, he added.
Till 5 pm, Agra recorded 56.61 per cent polling, Aligarh 57.25 per cent, Baghpat 61.35 per cent, Bulandshahr 60,52 per cent, Gautam Buddh Nagar 54.77 per cent, Ghaziabad 54.77 per cent, Hapur 60.50 per cent, Mathura 58.51 per cent, Meerut 58.52 cent, Muzaffarnagar 62.14 per cent and Shamli 61.78 per cent, an EC report said.
As many as 623 candidates, including 73 women, are in the fray for the first phase, and around 2.28 crore voters, including 1.24 crore men and 1.04 women besides others, are eligible to cast their franchise, state EC officials said.State ministers whose fate will be decided in the first phase include Shrikant Sharma, Suresh Rana, Sandeep Singh, Kapil Dev Agarwal, Atul Garg and Chowdhury Lakshmi Narain.
