Over 47 pc voter turnout for UP polls phase IV

Lucknow, Apr 23: An estimated 47 per cent of 1.57 crore voters exercised their franchise today in 57 constituencies spread over 10 districts for the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in peaceful polling under unprecedented security cover.

Polling had begun on a dull note this morning at 0700 hrs but picked up in the day despite the scorching heat, State additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Devesh Chaturvedi told sources.

Till 1300 hours 22 per cent of the voters had exercised their franchise.

He said till 1100 hours the official figure of voting was 14.5 per cent.

Congress candidate from Mankapur (Res) seat Sushil alias Babban Paswan was arrested last night when firearms were recovered from his vehicle.

Several places reported problems due to non-functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) but they were replaced immediately, Election Commission sources said.

Reports of names missing from voter lists were received from several constituencies. Names of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Tiwari and his family members were missing from the voters list in Basti district.

Rebel SP MP Beni Prasad Verma cast his vote in his native village Sarauli Gauspur under the Dariyabad assembly seat in Barabanki district.

A report from Gonda quoting Superintendent of Police Laxmi Singh said Congress candidate Sushil was arrested on the orders of the central observer following detection of firearms from his vehicle.

Two other criminals, belonging to Azamgarh district, were also nabbed along with Sushil and have a criminal background, the SP said.

A report from Lakhimpur Kheri said voters of Khargapur village under Hyderabad assembly constituency boycotted the polls due to non development of the area. About 700 voters of the area did not cast their votes even after persuasion by the district magistrate. In another incident in the district, a FIR has been registered against Samajwadi Party worker for violating model election code during the polling.

Villagers of Gauro in Siddharth Nagar district boycotted the polling.

They alleged that polling booth had been set up eight kms from their village, which was too far away.

The voters further claimed the polling booth was changed at the eleventhth hour without prior information to them, therefore, they decided not to cast their vote.

In another incident in Basti district, one person was arrested, while polling fake vote in booth number 184 in Harraiya, Deputy Inspector General of Police (range) of Basti Brihaspatimani Tripathi said.

The EC had made tight security for the Phase-IV voting, encouraged by the violence-free polling in Phase-I of the state assembly elections on April 7, Phase-II in 58 seats on April 13 and Phase-III on April 18.

Polling in the first two phases was estimated at around 46 per cent but rose to over 50 per cent in Phase-III.

Districts which went to the polls in the fourth phase were Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Basti, Sidharthnagar and Santkabirnagar.

The constituencies were: Mohamdi(SC), Utraula, Haiderabad, Sadullah Nagar, Aila(SC), Mankapur(SC), Lakhimpur, Mujehna, Srinagar, Gonda, Nighasan, Katra Bazar, Dhaurehra, Colonelganj, Behta, Dixir(SC), Biswan, Arraiya, Mahmoodabad, Captainganj, Sidhauli (SC), Nagar East(SC), Laharpur, Basti, Sitapur, Ramnagar, Hargaon(SC), Domariaganj, Misrikh, Itwa, Machhrehta(SC), Shohratgarh, Rudauli, Naugarh, Dariyabad, Bansi, Siddhaur(SC), Khesraha, Haidergarh, Menhdawal, Masauli, Khalilabad(SC), Nawabganj, Hainsarbazar (SC), Fatehpur (SC), Ramnagar, Kaiserganj, Fakharpur, Mahsi, Nanpara, Charda(SC), Bhinga,Bahraich, Ikauna(SC), Gainsari, Tulsipur and Balrampur.

Altogether, 657 companies of the paramilitary forces along with 60,000 state police personnel were deployed for the fourth phase of polling. State principal secretary (Home) K Chandramauli said here that 10 IG and DIG level officials were deputed in the ten districts to monitor security forces.

Prominent candidates whose fate was decided in Phase-IV include bureaucrat-turned-politician P L Punia from Fatehpur, UP assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey (Itwa), UP minister Arvind Singh Gope (Haidergarh) and Reshma Arif, wife of the former Congress leader Arif Mohammad Khan from Bahraich.

One-day chief minister of UP Jagdambika Pal (Basti), Dr Waqar Ahmad Shah (Bahraich), who locked horns with senior Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma, resulting into the latter declaring that he would field separate candidates, Gita Singh (Balrampur), the wife of former UP Director General of Police (DGP) Yashpal Singh and Beni Prasad's son Rakesh Verma (Masauli and Dariyabad), were also in the fray.

The fourth phase of polling was crucial for the SP, as the influence of rebel party leader Beni Prasad Verma's mettle was tested in districts like Barabanki and Bhariach. Mr Verma had floated a new political outfit ' Samajwadi Kranti Dal (SKD)' just before the polls.

The caste base in the phase consisted of Kurmi in the region of Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki and Bahraich where the SP scooped the previous elections.

Due to strong Kurmi population in this phase, Apna Dal, the pre-poll alliance partner of BJP, had announced it would field candidates in more than 10 seats. Altogether 922 candidates, including 63 women, were in the fray for the fourth phase poll and criminal cases were pending against 116 contestants.

In nine constituencies of Phase-IV, there were more than four candidates facing criminal cases. These constitutuencies are Naugarh, Nighasan, Balrampur, Mehndawal, Biswan, Gainsari, Shoratgarh, Itwa and Domariaganj. In this phase, 45 candidates have declared assets of more than Rs one crore.

Of the total candidates, 255 are from national and state recognised parties, 252 from smaller parties and the other 415 are independents.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the ruling SP won a maximum 31 seats out of the 57 at stake in Phase-IV while the BJP won 14, BSP nine, Congress two and other one.

Campaigning started on a dull note for this phase, but picked up in the later stages with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and her son Rahul pitching for Congress candidates while the BJP charge was led by party president Rajnath Singh, former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani along with several other leaders.

Ruling SP president and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had spearheaded the electioneering by addressing 8 to 10 election meetings daily, while BSP supremo Mayawati had made all out efforts to consolidate her position.

UNI