An estimated 57.58 per cent voters exercised their franchise in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh which went to polls in the fourth phase on Monday.
The polling passed off peaceful except for some minor clashes and poll boycott.
The turnout was highest in Nighasan assembly segment of Lakhimpur Kheri Lok Sabha seat where 62 percent voters exercised their franchise.
Minor clashes were reported from Shahjahanpur. Hardoi and Kannauj.
The fourth phase polling witnessed a fall in voting percentage due to severe heat wave conditions. Till 5 pm, 53.23 per cent polling was recorded in the fourth phase against 56.71 percent in phase three, 58.61 percent in phase two and 59.77 percent in phase one.
The fourth phase polling in UP sealed the fate of 152 candidates, including SP candidate Dimple Yadav who is wife of SP president Akhilesh Yadav, in Kannauj, former Union ministers and Congress candidate Salman Khurshid in Farrukhabad and Sriprakash Jaiswal in Kanpur and Congress leader Anu Tandon, who is pitted against BJP’s Sakshi Maharaj, in Unnao.
In Shahjahanpur, a woman and a youth were injured during polling at Jaitipur village in Tilhar assembly segment when two groups clashed over casting votes. Both sides attacked each other with lathis and also fired in the air. First a mob hit the woman who was entering her house after casting her vote and later her supporters attacked the assailants. The woman’s nephew was also injured in the clash. Police rushed to the spot and controlled the situation. They said the two sides clashed over old rivalry.
Minor clashes between the BJP and SB-BSP-RLD alliance workers were reported from Hardoi and Kannauj, though there was no disruption in polling.
Another report from Shahjahanpur said that former Union minister and Congress candidate from Dhaurahra Lok Sabha seat, Jatin Prasada, filed a complained with the Election Commission after someone else voted in his sister’s name during polling on Monday.
Prasada said when he along with his family members went to cast their votes in the morning at Sudama Prasad polling station, they found that someone had already voted through postal ballot in the name of his sister Janhavi Prasada. He demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
A report from Kanpur said that FIR was registered against BJP leader Suresh Awasthi for misbehaving with a police officer at a polling booth.
Election Commission sources here said on Monday that polling was peaceful barring some reports of malfunctioning of EVMs. ”The EVMs were immediately changed,” the sources said.
They said due to the heat wave condition, the polling percentage was below the desired level.
The Election Commission officials also refuted the charges of malfunctioning of more than 100 EVMs in Kannauj as alleged by the Samajwdi Party.
Reports from Hardoi said that a voter standing in the queue died due to sun stroke at Umra polling booth under Badhauli police station. The deceased was identified as Om Pal Singh (48).
Reports of poll boycott were received from seven villages in Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, including Pawai, Dumraha, Kharari and others, as the voters were annoyed over lack of development in their villages.
Poll boycott was also witnessed in Ballepurwa village under Tirwa assembly segment of Kannauj parliamentary constituency as the people were annoyed with the behavior of the district officials.
A report from Rath in Jalaun Lok Sabha constituency in Bundelkhand region said voters created ruckus over misbehavior by the police at a polling booth while at Jhikhak in Kanpur Dehat district in Akbarpur Lok Sabha constituency, a sector magistrate was sent for medical test after he was found in inebriated condition.
Polling was held at Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur constituencies.
