Second phase UP election witnesses 46 per cent voter turnout

New Delhi, Apr 13 (UNI) No incident of booth capturing or false voting was reported as the second phase assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh covering 58 Constituencies witnessed a low voter turnout of 46 per cent of the 1.64 crore electorate today.

Deputy Election Commissioner Balakrishnan told reporters here that 85 per cent of the voters used their Election Photo identity Card (EPIC) to exercise their franchise.

He said the Election Commission is fully satisfied that they have not only been able to provide free and fair elections but they have also been able to create an atmosphere of self confidence among the voters of those sensitive areas where people were normally either influenced or pressurised to vote in favour of some one.

He said the Commission did a mapping of all those villages and small hamlets which were sensitive to such type of poll irregularities and provided adequate security cover to all those places.The EC ensured strict monitoring of all those vulnerable areas to create an atmosphere so that people could come out to cast their votes without any fear.

Apart from this the Commission also carried out an intensive survey of how many voters who are not actually staying in their place but their names still exists in the voters election list.

He said nearly 8.5 lakh such voters were identified but only one per cent of them turned out to cast their votes. They were allowed to cast their votes after taking their photographs and making proper verification.

A total of 881 candidates were in the election fray and their fate were sealed in the Electronic Voting machines (EVM) at 15987 Polling Stations.

UNI