As the two-month long battle of the ballot in five States ended on Wednesday, over 60 per cent turnout was recorded in the seventh and last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, taking the voting percentage to nearly 61 in the staggered elections for the 403-member House. Manipur witnessed a turnout of about 86 per cent in the second and last phase with an overall voting percentage of 86 for the 60-member Assembly.
In UP, the polling was held in 40 Assembly seats spread in seven districts of the eastern part of the State.
The Assembly seats also included Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. According to the Election Commission by the end of polling at 5 pm an estimated 60 per cent turnout was recorded and could marginally increase in some constituencies when final calculation is done.
UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said that except for the complaints of EVM malfunction, the polling was peaceful in all the 40 constituencies and there was no incident of violence during the polling.
In the 2012 Assembly elections, these districts polled an average of 57.92 per cent while in 2014 lok Sabha polls it was around 55 per cent.
Polling in all the 403 Assembly seats in UP except in Alapur Assembly seat in Ambedkar Nagar district, has been completed. Polling in this seat would be held on Thursday.
In Manipur, men and women came out in huge numbers to mark their democratic choice, as over 86 per cent votes were cast amid tight security in the second and final phase of the Assembly polls.
Polling was generally peaceful notwithstanding a few stray incidents in the 22 constituencies spread over six districts — Thoubal, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong, Kamjomg and Senapati.
All eyes were on Thoubal, where Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is seeking re-election as a Congress candidate in a five-cornered contest that also features human rights activist and People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance nominee Irom Sharmila and BJP’s leitanthem Singh.
“The polling percentage was over 86,” said State Chief Electoral Officer VK Dewangan.
The voter turnout was 86.5 per cent in the first phase covering 38 constituencies on March 4.
Meanwhile, Dewangan has ordered re-poll in 34 polling stations which went to the hustings in the first phase. The repoll will take place on March 10.