20pc polling in phase II, minor clashes reported

Lucknow, Apr 13: About 20 per cent of the voters had cast ballots during the first four hours of polling for the second phase of elections in 58 constituencies spread over 10 districts of western Uttar Pradesh, under tight security arrangements.

Amid reports of minor clashes in Muzaffarnagar, polling was underway peacefully in all the places.

According to a report from Muzaffarnagar, a minor clash broke out between the supporters of Bharatiya Kisan Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party in Khatauli Assembly seat from where Rakesh Tikait, son of Mahendra Singh Tikait is the BKD candidate.

A clash was also reported from Sisauli area where four people sustained minor injuries. After the incident, Mahendra Singh Tikait was confined to house arrest.

Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate and former minister Virendra Singh was detained for violating election norms at Malakpur in Khandla assembly seat in Muzaffarnagar district.

In Bhagra assembly seat in Muzaffarnagar, there was a clash between voters and security personnel at booth no. 142 over polling.

Poll boycott by some villages in Muzaffarnagar was also reported.

According to EC sources, 'teething problems' were reported from several places due to non-functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) but efforts were being made to rectify the errors at the earliest.

''The polling was by and large peaceful,'' sources said adding that voting started on a dull note but picked up at around 0900 hours.

Till 1100 hrs, around 20 per cent of the total 1.64 crore voters had exercised their franchise in 15931 polling booths.

Encouraged by the violence-free polling in Phase-I on April 7, the EC has further tightened security arrangements for Phase-II voting in 10 communally sensitive districts of the state.

Security forces are conducting flag marches, while inter-state borders with Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh have been sealed.

The Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) were being deployed in all the polling booths and sensitive areas to maintain law and order.

Two Deputy Election Commissioners have been appointed by the EC to keep a constant vigil in the sensitive areas by making rounds in helicopters. Two helicopters would be used to monitor the polling process.

Deputy Election Commissioner J P Prakash has been provided with a helicopter to monitor the polling in all the 10 districts.

About 100 Central observers and another 100 micro observers would monitor the polling process in all the constituencies.

The authorities have already declared Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Bulandshahr and Aligarh as sensitive and additional security forces have been deployed in these pockets. Altogether 29 Assembly segements in phase-II have been declared sensitive. In the second phase, the prestige of Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh and BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh is at stake. Kalyan Singh's son Rajveer and daughter-in-law Premlata are also trying their luck for a second time from Dibai and Atrauli seats respectively.

BKD supremo Mahendra Singh Tikait has fielded his son Rakesh from Khatauli seat in Muzaffarnagar.

The RLD, which had won 11 seats in the 2002 polls, is contesting all the segments. Kalyan Singh had contested the 2002 polls under Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP) banner and had won three seats.

Rebel Samajwadi Party leader Haji Yakoob is contesting as a United Democratic Front(UDF) candidate from Kharkhauda seat in Meerut district. Mr Yakoob is also known for his controversial bounty announcement of Rs 51 crore on a Danish cartoonist for lampooning Prophet Mohammed through cartoons.

UNI