UP Assembly Elections 2022: Amid EVM glitches and fear of COVID-19, voters throng in large numbers to cast their vote in Phase I of polls
The battle for Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday with polling at 58 Assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state
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Polls opened on Thursday in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh in a true test of the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is Phase I of polling and the state will witness polling on six other dates -- 14 February, 20 February, 23 February, 27 February, 3 March and 7 March. AFP
A win in the Hindi heartland will give the BJP a boost ahead of national elections in 2024, when it will seek a third straight victory under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Opinion polls have indicated that the BJP will retain power in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly -- something no party has done since 1985 -- with an increased vote share. AP
The first phase of polling, which started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, is being held in 58 assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state. Additional Chief Election Officer (ACEO) B D Ram Tiwari said to news agency PTI polling is going on peacefully. "There were reports of a technical error in EVMs at some places. Those EVMs are being replaced," he said. AP
As many as 623 candidates, including 73 women are in the fray in 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. The state ministers whose fate will be decided in the first phase of voting include Shrikant Sharma, Suresh Rana, Sandeep Singh, Kapil Dev Agarwal, Atul Garg and Chowdhury Lakshmi Narain. AP
The BJP's main rival is the Samajwadi (Socialist) Party, led by Akhilesh Yadav who has been seeking to tap into discontent over job losses and rising prices. AP
Extensive arrangements have been undertaken for the polling. ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar said that 800 companies of paramilitary forces had been deployed, of which 724 companies were deployed for booth duty. AFP
Officials also said that 15 companies have been deployed to protect EVMs kept in strong rooms to maintain security. At the same time, 66 companies have been deployed to maintain law and order. News18
Keeping COVID in mind, there are several protocols in place to ensure the safety of the voters and the officials on duty. The Election Commission has stated that not more than 1,000 voters are allowed to cast their votes on one polling booth. AFP
The EC has also directed the officials to make sure measures like sanitizers, thermal scanner, soap, masks, face shields and gloves etc are available at the polling stations. AFP
Other SOPs such as social distancing, token system to avoid queues and optional Postal Ballot facility has also be implemented at the polling booths. EC has also extended voting time by an hour and electors will have to wear face masks, gloves and sanitize their hands. AFP
People line up to vote during the first phase of Uttar Pradesh state elections at a village near Meerut. AP
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