India’s most populous State goes to the polls today, beginning a seven-phase process that starts from the western fringe of Uttar Pradesh.
In the first phase, 73 Assembly constituencies in 15 districts of western Uttar Pradesh will elect their legislators. A total of 839 candidates are trying their luck in the 73 seats.
During the polls, held across 15 districts, 42 electronic voting machines (EVM) and 52 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines had to be replaced, which the official said was less than as compared to previous polls.
First phase of U.P. polls witness ‘exemplary’ 64% turnout: EC
The first phase of U.P. polls in 73 Assembly constituencies witnessed an “exemplary” 64.22% voter turnout.
The Election Commission did not give the figures of voter turnout on the corresponding seats in the 2012 Assembly polls, but said the percentage recorded on Saturday was higher than the 58.62 overall turnout recorded in the State then.
The overall turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls was 59.12%.
Deputy Election Commissioner in charge of Uttar Pradesh Vijay Dev termed the turnout as “exemplary” and said it will “set the tone for the remaining six phases” to be held between February 15 and March 8. - PTI
Around 63% turnout in first phase of Uttar Pradesh polls, says Election Commission. PTI reports that there were some stray incidents in Baghpat and Meerut. The report says 10 persons were injured in two separate clashes in Baghpat. In Meerut, controversial BJP leader Sangeet Som’s brother Gagan Som detention, for carrying a pistol inside a polling booth, causes tension.
Around 54% turnout has been recorded till 4 p.m. in 73 Assembly constituencies in phase 1 of of the seven-phase U.P. polls. Stray incidents reported from Baghpat and Meerut.
Official sources that said barring reports of election slips being snatched at some places leading to pelting of stones and clashes, polling was going on peacefully.
SP-Congress releases common minimum programme
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday jointly released ten commitments on which their alliance will work on coming to power.
The list of commitments include distribution of free smartphones to youth, employment guarantee through skill development to 20 lakh youths, loan waiver to farmers, cheap power and proper remuneration for crops.
39.43% voting recorded till 1 pm in 73 seats of western Uttar Pradesh.
After voting, Gulzar, an AC mechanic in Sardhana tells The Hindu that only the BSP candidate is best suited to defeat Sangeet Som. Hafiz Imran Yaqoob is the BSP candidate.
EC’s ‘third eye’ monitoring UP polls
As voting got underway in Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission is extensively using information technology to ensure free and fair polling, an official said.
The ‘third eye’ of the poll panel was keeping a close tab on each and every movement at 14,514 polling centres through 2,362 digital cameras, 1,526 video cameras and 2,857 web cameras, the official added.
“Our commitment is to ensure free and fair polling and we are doing everything in this direction,” the official told IANS.
There have so far been no reports of any poll violence as 2.60 crore voters venture out to cast their franchise in the first phase.
Modi election rally in Badaun
At an election rally in Badaun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "Akhilesh Yadav says ‘kaam bolta hai’, (but) even a child knows it is your ‘karnaama’ (misdeed) which is speaking." Mr. Modi also asked "Akhilesh branded Mayawati government corrupt five years ago and promised to send wrongdoers to jail. Did he do so?."
"Officials close to Mayawati and those who faced graft charges were given important posts and doors were opened for more corruption. What kind of officials were posted in Noida?" asks Modi.
West Bengal BJP gets hands on training in UP polls
With BJP leaving no stone unturned to win the crucial Uttar Pradesh elections, its Bengal unit has seized the opportunity to provide a hands on training to its young leaders on the nitty-gritty of elections.
“We all know that the road to Delhi, the seat of power, goes through Uttar Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, poll campaign is going on a high pitch. So we have sent a team of our leaders and youth leaders to Uttar Pradesh to learn how our party cadres are conducting the poll campaign and the party’s election machinery,” State BJP president Dilip Ghosh told PTI.
Ghosh said that some of the leaders have campaigned in areas of Uttar Pradesh, which have considerable Bengali population. Several top leaders from Bengal including Rahul Sinha, Locket Chatterjee and Babool Supriyo are campaigning in poll-bound States.
Apart from top leaders from Bengal, more than 300 party workers from the state have been sent to various parts of Uttar Pradesh and other poll-bound states to participate in the party campaign and also pick up new strategies that may give an edge to the party in the 2018 panchayat polls, 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 2020 Municipal polls and 2021 Assembly polls in West Bengal.
According to state BJP sources, the teams from Bengal have been asked to concentrate in three areas of social media campaign, door to door campaign and establishing mass contact. - PTI
"We have broken stereotypes about Valmiki voting patterns," Bhupinder, a Valmiki youth, tells our reporter Mohamed Ali after voting for BSP in Meerut. Both the Meerut Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies are held by the BJP. Many Valmiki voters in Meerut told The Hindu that they have voted against the BJP, their traditional party, which was taking them for granted
27 per cent polling recorded in communally sensitive Muzaffarnagar till 11 am.
PTI reports:
Around 30 per cent votes were today polled till noon in 73 Assembly constituencies in the first of the seven-phase UP polls being seen as a litmus test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nearly three-year rule.
"Polling is going on peacefully amidst tight security arrangements and till noon around 30 per cent votes have been cast," an official said.
A total of 2.60 crore voters, including over 1.17 crore women and 1,508 belonging to third gender category are eligible to cast their ballot to decide the fate of 839 candidates.
Voting proceeds at the Radha Krishan Temple in Meerut Cantt constituency:
21 per cent voting recorded till 11 am in the first phase of UP polls on 73 seats.
29 per cent voting in Shamli till 11 am
BJP MLA kin held with pistol in polling booth
Gagan Som, brother of senior BJP leader and Sardhana legislator Sangeet Som was detained on Saturday after a pistol was recovered from him, a police officer said.
Som was detained by the police personnel on duty in Faridpur.
Spotting the pistol, the security personnel whisked Som away from inside the booth. An official told IANS that the act was in contravention of election rules and hence the action was taken.
Sangeet Som shot to limelight for his fiery speeches during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and was one of those named for inciting violence.
Queues grow longer in Noida
Queues at polling booths in Noida grew longer as the day progressed. Voters of all ages came in big numbers as the polling entered the third hour after starting at 7 a.m. “The pace has picked up, early morning there was a very low turnout due to the cold weather. But now we can see voters coming in good numbers,” an election official told IANS at Harola school polling booth in Noida sector 5.
Ashok Mishra, who owns a shop near sector 11, said: “In this election we want a change, we want ‘Ram Rajya’, which will only come from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since their policies are for the benefit of the poor.”
Sakshi Chaurasia, 18, who came to cast her vote for the first time, said: “I have exercised my voting right for the first time. For me, employment and safety of women are of utmost importance.”
Meanwhile, all factories and offices across Noida remained shut.
There were many voters who were seen searching for their names in the voter lists outside polling booths.
However, those who did not have their voter cards, were seen carrying authority cards.
According to election officials, more voters are expected towards the afternoon.
Akhilesh, Rahul release CMP in Lucknow
SP President Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, released the Common Minimum Programme at a joint press conference in Lucknow. Smart phones, skill development, free cycles and homes for the poor among key points in SP-Cong joint programme.
Due to technical faults in EVMs voting in several polling booths in Mathura, Baghpat and Aligarh started a bit late. 10.5 per cent polling recorded in Aligarh till 9 am.
12 per cent polling recorded in Bulandshahr till 9 am
15 per cent polling in communally sensitive Muzaffarnagar till 9 am.
Polling till 9 a.m.: Loni : 11 per cent; Muradnagar: 11.5 per cent; Sahibabad: 9 per cent; Ghaziabad: 13.5 per cent; Modinagar: 12.3 per cent; Dhulana: 11.2 per cent
Noida 8 per cent till 9 a.m. Overall roughly 10 per cent. Eight EVMs not working in Meerut.
10.5 per cent voting in Aligarh and 12 per cent in Bulandshahr till 9 am .
Amid heightened fears of poll violence, already proved true by a spate of incidents in the past few days, an unprecedented security deployment has been made in sensitive areas — Shamli, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Bulandshahr and Agra. In all 826 companies of central forces have been stationed for the first phase of polling.
Poor voter turnout in Noida
Very few voters turned out in the first hour of voting here on Saturday in the first phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
According to election officials, more voters are expected after 10 a.m. Voting started at 7 a.m.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s son Pankaj Singh is making his debut in the polls. He is the BJP candidate.
Slow polling at the start
Voting started at a slow pace in the 73 assembly constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh on Saturday morning. The turnout in the first hour was poor with mostly youngsters seen casting their ballots.
Voters queue up at a polling booth in Sahibabad area in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
Polling was delayed due to technical snags in electronic voting machines (EVMs) at four polling stations — Sardhana, Baghpat, Hathras and Noida.
High security in riot-hit seats of Western Uttar Pradesh
Polling began on Saturday for the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Sources added that high security was in place to conduct smooth polling.
Muslims in a dilemma..
Most of the constituencies going to the polls fall in the communally sensitive Western U.P. including the riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar-Shamli.
The Muslim community is divided in its support to the SP, AIMIM, and the BSP.
Identity politics
In U.P.’s Upper Doab, there is a complex relationship between religious polarisation and voting behaviour.
Religious polarisation taps into an emotional response from the voter and can be driven by hearsay and rumour.
What happened last time?
The BJP had won just 11 of the 73 seats in the last Assembly polls, but in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it saw a complete swing in its favour and won all 15 seats from the 15 districts.
Most diversely contested region
This is clearly the most diversely contested region of the State, the only one in which all four parties/fronts, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party-Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, fancy their chances.
