Voters cast their votes in the first phase of assembly elections at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna) Polling in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections came to an end on Thursday evening with a large number of people coming out to cast their votes based on issues such as the cost of electricity, schools fees, compensation for farm lands, security concerns and registry of flats, among others.
Voters chose between between 52 candidates in Ghaziabad districts, and 39 in Gautam Buddh Nagar district. Lakshmi Goswami, a resident of Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar, said that private education was very costly, and government schools did not provide quality education.
“I have three children and I end up paying over Rs 3,000 as school fees. My husband earns around Rs 8,000,” she said. A small distance away in Sabota village, the main issue for voters was compensation for those who gave their land for the construction of the Jewar airport. Tek Chand, who gave over 1.5 acres of land, said: “There has been payment, but not full compensation…” he said.
In Gautam Buddh Nagar district, voting took take place for Dadar, Jewar and Noida Assembly constituencies. Vijay Kumari, a resident of Noida Sector 71, said that security was her main concern. For residents of well-to-do areas in Noida, registry of flats was the key issue. In Ghaziabad district, voting was held for five seats — Loni, Muradnagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, and Dhaulana. Vijay Singh, a resident of Shahibabad said, “Electricity has improved but it is very costly… ”
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