Lucknow, Apr 19 (UNI) An estimated 70 per cent of the 3.23 crore voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of the three tier Panchayat polls in Uttar Pradesh which passed off peacefully in 20 districts on Monday.
State Election Commission (SEC) said here that the polling was peacefully from 0700 hours to 1800 hours.
Till 1700 hours, the average polling in these 20 districts were 62.36 per cent. At that time Gautam Buddha Nagar recorded highest of 70.20 per cent of votes while the lowest was at Gonda of 51 per cent. Lucknow recorded 65.90 per cent voting while in Varanasi it was 56 per cent.
About 32 million voters will decide the fate of 3,54,999 candidates in the second phase of voting. During this time, voting is being done for 2,23,118 posts in the state.
A report from Amroha said a polling party was attacked by some people at Baikheda polling station in Hasanpur, Amroha. Police said presiding officers, staff and polling agents of Booth Nos. 184 and 185 were assaulted. The attackers looted a pack of ballots. During this firing also took place. However, the police are refusing to talk about firing.
On the information of the incident, a heavy police force including CDO Chandrashekhar Shukla, CO Satish Chandra Pandey reached the spot. The police is trying to identify the accused.
Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav, the national president of the Pragatsheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) in Etawah also voted. The voters of western Uttar Pradesh are showing great enthusiasm. After 71 percent polling in the first phase on April 15, the graph of voting is likely to increase even today.
In Kannauj's primary school Nagla Chaudhary, 110-year-old Longshree cast his vote, while 100-year-old Baikundi Devi and 98-year-old Ramshree cast their votes at the village Rajpur booth in Jaswantnagar, Etawah.
Polling in Etawah witnessed Mulayam Singh Yadav 's family voting in this poll.
Former MP from Badaun, Dharmendra Yadav, his father Abhay Ram Singh Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav's son, General Secretary of the Pragatsheel Samajwadi Party, Aditya Yadav, also voted in Saifai.
Polling were held in the districts of Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar, Etah, Amroha, Badaun, Mainpuri, Kannauj, Etawah, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gonda, Sultanpur, Maharajganj, Varanasi and Azamgarh.
Even in the Corona transition period, on April 15, around 71 percent polling was held in the first phase. The third phase of polling in the state will be held on April 25 and the fourth phase will be held on April 29. The results will be out on May 2.
The Allahabad High Court has directed the government to complete the election process by May 25. In compliance with the same, voting is being held from April 15.
UNI MB SHK2004