UP elections: Voter turnout picks up after dull start

Lucknow: After a dull start, voter turnout picked up in the third phase of UP Assembly polls for 56 seats in 10 districts with nearly 21 percent of the over 1.75 crore electorate exercising their franchise in the first four hours. Naxal-hit Chandauli district recorded maximum 25 percent polling, whereas minimum 17.6 percent was registered in Varanasi. [caption id=“attachment_213926” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“This phase will decide the fate of three cabinet ministers, a minister of state, 29 sitting MLAs and 14 former ministers. PTI”]  [/caption] “Voting began at 7 am for the third phase of assembly elections and 20.51 percent polling was recorded in the first four hours,” Election Commission officials said here. Among other districts, CSM Nagar recorded 21 percent, Sultanpur 22 percent, Kaushambi 20.11 per cent, 18 Jaunpur percent, Bhadoi 20.8 percent, Mirzapur 18 percent and Sonbhadra 21 percent. This phase will decide the fate of three cabinet ministers, a minister of state, 29 sitting MLAs and 14 former ministers. More than 1.75 crore voters are expected to cast their votes to seal the fate of 1,018 candidates in the polling to be held in CSM Nagar, Sultanpur, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra. Fate of 1,018 candidates in 10 districts, including Amethi and Rae Bareli, bastion of Nehru-Gandhi family, and Naxal-hit districts Chandauli, Sonbhadra and Mirzapur would be decided in the third phase. In this phase, at least 121 candidates with criminal background and as many as 48 ‘crorepatis’ are in the fray. Sinha said that polling would end by 4 pm in Naxal-affected area of Chakia in Sonbhadra and Duddhi in Robertsganj of Sonbhadra. A total of 2,025 polling stations have been identified as sensitive and 1,766 as hyper sensitive. The CEO said that polling was being held at 18,374 polling booths at 11,607 polling stations where 1,122 video cameras and 1,190 digital cameras have been installed to maintain a vigil on poll process. Stakes are high for ruling BSP, Congress, SP and the BJP in the no holds barred fight for the 403 assembly seats. PTI