32% polling in phase II of UP elections; minor scuffles reported

Lucknow, Apr 13 (UNI) About 32 per cent of the voters had cast ballots till 1500 hrs today in the second phase of elections to 58 constituencies, spread over 10 districts of western Uttar Pradesh, amid reports of clashes and poll boycott.

State Additional Chief Electoral Officer Devesh Chaturvedi told UNI here that polling was by and large peaceful except for minor scuffles in Muzaffarnagar district.

He said the voting percentage was around 32 per cent at 1500 hrs. Polling till 1300 hrs was 23.5 per cent, he added.

According to a report from Muzaffarnagar, a minor clash broke out between supporters of the 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 put under house arrest.

Later, the senior Tikait could not vote at Sisauli as his name was missing from the voters' list.

Meanwhile, Election Commission special observer and deputy election commissioner J P Prakash air dashed to Sisauli to review the law and order situation.

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.

At least two villages, Rai under Chatrawal assembly seat and Mohalari in Khadha assembly constituency, boycotted the polls.

The villagers of both the areas were protesting lack of developmental work in their region.

According to EC sources, ''teething problems'' were reported from several places due to non-functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) but they were rectified within first two hours .

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

A total of 1.64 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 15931 polling booths in Phase-II of the elections.

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.

(Eds: Pick up sutiably from earlier takes) UNI