Peaceful polling underway in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, May 3: An estimated 22 per cent of the voters have exercised their franchise for the sixth phase of elections to 52 Assembly constituencies spread over nine districts of Uttar Pradesh till 1300 hrs which was underway on a peaceful note amid unprecedented security cover.

State additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Devesh Chaturvedi told UNI here that the polling was underway peacefully and about 22 per cent of the 1.63 crore voters have voted till 1300 hrs.

Official poll percentage till 1100 hrs was 15.03 per cent.

Mr Chaturvedi said a presiding officer K R Sharma of Baragaon in Varanasi as been removed for violating the norms.

''The presiding officer was asking the voters to push a particular button on the Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs),'' he said.

He said special security arrangements have been made in the Naxal affected Sonebhadra, Chandauli and Mirzapur districts with an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter along with commandos conducting aerial surveillance.

According to EC sources, preliminary teething trouble were reported from several places due to non functioning of the EVMs which were replaced immediately.

Encouraged by the violence-free polling in Phase-I of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on April 7, Phase-II in 58 seats on April 13 , Phase-III on April 18, Phase IV on April 23 and Phase V on April 28, the EC has further tightened security arrangements for the Phase-VI voting.

Bypoll for Mirzapur and Robertsganj Lok Sabha seats will also be held along with the sixth phase polling. Voting percentage in these two seats till 1300 hrs was around 20 per cent.

Meanwhile, reports of poll boycott were received from several places. Family members of Bharat Ratna late Bismillah Khan did not participate in the democratic process in Varanasi to protest against the non-construction of a tomb in the name of the late Shehnai maestro.

In Mirzapur, villagers of several areas did not come out to vote in protest against lack of developmental works.

A report from Allahabad said the presiding officer A N Tiwari of a polling centre in Anhera village under Pratappur assembly constituency of Allahabad district died of cardiac arrest this morning.

Inter-state borders with Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have been sealed off and flag marches are underway in all the constituencies.

The Commission has identified 16 assembly constituencies as sensitive and chalked out an elaborate plan whereby the electors would be provided adequate security cover for a free and fair polling The Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) was being deployed in all the polling booths and sensitive areas to maintain law and order.

Deputy Election Commissioner J P Prakash has been appointed by the EC to keep a constant vigil in the sensitive areas in a helicopter while the 52 constituencies has been provided with nine additional central observer to monitor the polling.

Altogether 648 companies of CPMF along with 66,000 state police have been deployed for peaceful polling.

UNI