60 pc voting in UP civic poll marred by violence, rigging

Lucknow, Oct 31 (UNI) Amid reports of stray incidents of violence, rigging and fake voting, about 60 per cent of the total 9.1 million electorate exercised their franchise to elect 11 mayors and 900 corporators in the second phase of Uttar Pradesh civic poll today.

Polling in 11 nagar nigams (municipal corporations) of Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad, Meerut, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Jhansi and Moradabad took place today. The only remaining Nagar Nigam of Ghaziabad goes to poll on November 3 in the third phase.

Polling in Nagar Palika Parishads (municipalities) in 14 districts of four divisions of Azamgarh, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Mirzapur in eastern UP also took place. Earlier, it was postponed on October 28 due to 'Chhath' festival.

Over 50 person were injured at different places with reports of violence from Meerut, Agra, Kanpur, Jhansi, Varanasi and Lucknow, official sources said.

Repoll has been ordered at two booths in Moradabad and six each in Agra and Lucknow, Additional State Election Commissioner Vinay Priya Dubey told reporters here this evening.

He said the SEC had received 32 complaints of booth capturing and 37 complaints of fake voting -- which were being probed into.

Meanwhile, repoll had also been ordered at 66 more booths, where polling had taken place on October 28 in the first phase.

BJP and Congress, the main opposition parties in UP, have alleged of misuse of official machinery and large scale irregularities by the ruling Samajwadi Party.

The SEC has asked the district authorities to look into the complaints lodged by the opposition parties.

According to reports reaching state headquarters here, the police resorted to firing in the air and use of tear gas to disperse an agitated mob in Meerut, while some incidents of group clashes were reported from Kanpur and Lucknow.

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