Polling for Nagar Nigam, Mayors elections begins: stray violence

Lucknow, Oct 31 (UNI) Polling for the crucial Nagar Nigam and Mayoral election in Uttar Pradesh started this morning amid reports of stray incidents of violence and rigging in some parts of the state.

About 20 per cent of the total 9.1 million electorate have exercised their franchise in the first three hours of polling started at 0800 hours and will continue till 1700 hours.

Polling for 11 Nagar Nigams (corporations) along with same number of Mayor posts is being held today in the second phase of elections for the urban local bodies in the state. Polling for Nagar Palika Parishads (municipalities) in 14 districts of Eastern UP were also being held today as it could not be done in the first phase on October 28 following the 'Chhath' festival.

State Election Commissioner Aparmita Prasad Singh told UNI here the polling is going on by and large peaceful in all the 11 Nagar Nigams but incidents of stray violence and rigging were reported from some places.

The SEC has asked the district authorities to check the complaints lodged mostly by the opposition parties of rigging and forged voting by the ruling Samajwadi Party supporters.

In the first phase of polling on October 28, large scale violence was reported in western UP with one death.

Altogether 5 companies of central forces accompanied with over 100 companies of PAC and 85,000 strong home guard along with district police would ensure a free and fair polling which has been termed as 'semi-final' for all political parties before the assembly polls next year.

Except for Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam, polling for 11 Nagar Nigams--Lucknow, Allahabad, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly and Moradabad-- is being held today. Polling for the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam will be held in the third phase on November 3.

In Lucknow, complaints of large scale rigging by ruling SP workers were lodged by the BJP and Congress at Chowk, Daliganj, Ismailganj and Aminabad areas.

However long queques were witnessed in most of the polling booths with large turnout of the women voters.

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