PRAYAGRAJ: The panchayat elections in Prayagraj district recorded 57.24% polling by 5 pm on Thursday in the first phase amid allegations of fraudulent voting, missing names in ballot papers and clashes.
The fate of over 26,621 candidates contesting for different posts, including zila panchayat member, BDC, gram pradhan and gram panchayat member was locked in ballot boxes.
Polling was held at 1,739 polling centres and 5,269 polling booths amid tight security arrangements and compliance of Covid norms.
The polling was slow initially and was just 9.11% in 23 blocks of the district till 9am. However, voters then started coming coming out of their homes and polling wincreased to 20.11% at 11am, 33% at 1pm, and 45.20% by 3pm. There were around 34 lakh voters in the district.
Meanwhile, a group of villagers locked a polling booth at Dalauha village under Meja police station station in trans-Yamuna area over alleged fake voting. The villagers alleged that husband of a candidate was involved in fake voting and created ruckus for more than an hour.
Senior police and administrative officials rushed to the spot on being alerted and pacified the villagers. Villagers alleged that fake voting was done with the help of fake Aadhaar cards. Police detained a man for printing fake Aadhaar cards.
SP (Crime) Ashutosh Mishra told TOI that supporters of some candidates created ruckus after names of some contestants were found missing on ballot papers. Polling started only after fresh ballot papers were arranged in Bahadurpur, Soraon and Karchana blocks.
Police officials kept running from one village to another after receiving reports of clashes between rival camps in many villages of trans-Ganga and -Yamuna pockets and detained around 30 people on the charges of disturbing peace after over a dozen persons were injured in the clashes.
Police said clashes between rival camps were reported in Kuwar Patti and Mailha villages under Meja and Karchana police stations. Supporters of two zila panchayat candidates also came face to face at Kanigada village in Meja police station are and were chased away by cops.
Polling was disturbed at a polling booth in Kahara village in Karchana block after supporters of a candidate allegedly poured water into a ballot box. Complaints of transporting supporters by candidates’ private vehicles also reached police officials in trans-Ganga and -Yamuna pockets. Senior police officials deputed CRPF personnel to maintain law and order in many villages of Utrav, Karchana and Meja.