An estimated 57.3 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the sixth phase of polling for the UP Assembly elections on Saturday. Polling for 49 seats spread across seven east UP districts were peaceful barring stray incidents of clash among supporters of different parties.
For the total of 1.73 crore voters in this phase, the Election Commission had set up 17,926 polling booths out of which 2,146 booths were marked as hypersensitive.
In 2012 Assembly elections, 55.4 percent voters turnout was recorded in sixth phase of the assembly election and in 2014 lok Sabha polls the polling percentage was 54.72.
Polling started at 7 am and ended in a smooth note at 5 pm in the 49 segments bordering north Bihar and Nepal. The fate of 635 candidates, including 63 women, was sealed in this polling. Of the total candidates, 20 per cent had criminal backgrounds and 25 per cent were crorepatis.
Chief Electoral Officer of UP, T Venkatesh said that the official polling figure till 9 am was around 11 per cent, 23.28 per cent at 11 am, 37.85 per cent at 1pm and 48.73 per cent at 3 pm . Voting percentage at 5 pm was around 57 per cent.
The voter turnout in Gorakhpur was 56 per cent, Maharajganj 61 per cent, Azamgarh 57 per cent, Mau 59 per cent, Ballia 57.6 per cent, Deoria 58 per cent and Kushinagar 59.3 per cent.
Venkatesh said that as several voters were in the queue when polling was closed at 5 pm hence the final poll percentage could increase marginally. He said that a minor incident was reported in Ballia where SP and BSP workers came to a head. While no one was injured, some persons were arrested.
After casting his vote in Gorakhpur, local BJP MP Yogi Adityanath claimed that the BJP was coming to power in UP. This phase will test the political influence of Union Minister and Decoria MP Kalraj Mishra, Mahant Adityanath of Gorakhpur and Samajwadi Party patron and Azamgarh MP Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has so far stayed away from campaigning.
Prominent candidates include jailed don Mokhtar Ansari from Mau, his son Abbas from Ghosi, former UP legislative Council chairman Ganesh Shanker Pandey from Paniyara, former UP Assembly Speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar from Didarganj — all of whom have been fielded by the BSP.
Former leader of the Opposition in UP Assembly and now BJP candidate Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna, murder convict Amarmani Tripathi’ son Amanmani Tripathi is contesting as an Independent from Nautanwa of Maharajganj.
Around 2 lakh security personnel, including 700 companies of Central forces were deployed for this phase.
In the sixth phase, the BSP had fielded candidates in all 49 seats while the BJP in 45, SP in 40 and Congress in 10 seats. Besides, there are 248 candidates of recognised parties and 174 independents. In one seat, despite electoral alliance both the SP and Congress have fielded candidates.
Mau Assembly seat had the highest number of 4.41 lakh voters while the lowest is at Sikanderpur of Ballia with 2.88 lakh voters. The maximum number of candidates of 23 were in Gorakhpur (City) seat while the lowest of 7 each were in Azamgarh and Gohna seats
In 2012 Assembly polls, SP had won 27 of the 49 seats, BSP 9, BJP 7, Congress 4 and Others 2. In the 2014 lok Sabha polls, the BJP was ahead on most Assembly segments except for Azamgarh from where Mulayam Singh had won the elections.
The last phase of polling would be held on March 8 in 40 seats and the counting of votes of all the seven phases would be taken up on March 11.