Ghaziabad records 59.8 percent turnout as polling ends

, April 10: The Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency registered 59.8 percent turnout of voters as

ended 6 pm on Thursday.

Comprising five assembly segments, Sahibabad assembly seat with 793,919 voters registered 56 percent voting, Murad Nagar (402,430) recorded 62 percent, Dhaulana (353,013) 61 percent, Loni (411,934) 60 percent and Ghaziabad (394,168) registered 56 percent.

Confirming the polling percentage, Ghaziabad District Magistrate S.V.S. Ranga Rao said: "Polling concluded peacefully in all the polling stations. A defective EVM in Loni was replaced instantly."

An impressive 57 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 PM in high-profile Ghaziabad constituency where 22.64 lakh eligible electorates are exercising their franchise.

Enthused by the long queue in front of polling booths, election officials are hoping that 60 per cent of the electorates would cast their vote till polling ends at 6 PM.

Only 45.3 per cent of the eligible voters turned out here in 2009 general election. "People started coming since morning and the turnout has been very impressive.

Till 3 PM, it was 49 per cent. Going by the trend, it is likely to go up to 60 per cent till voting closes at 6 PM," District Magistrate SVS Rangarao said.

Voting has been peaceful and no untoward incident was reported so far, he added. "I have never seen such a smooth and peaceful polling in my 12 years of service," said Deshbir Singh, a constable on election duty in Rajnagar's Schiller School polling station.

Adjoining Delhi, the constituency has almost an equal number of rural and urban voters.

Former army chief V K Singh is contesting from here on BJP ticket. He is pitted against Congress's Raj Babbar, Aaam Admi Party's Shazia Ilmi and BSP's Mukul Upadhyay.

The EC has identified 177 polling booths as 'critical' out of the total 2,172 booths.

Around 21,600 civil and paramilitary forces personnel have been deployed to ensure smooth polling Ritu (23), a first-time voter from Patel Nagar area of the constituency, said she came to cast her vote to ensure that the poor get some benefit and the youth get jobs.

Accompanied by a relative, Rammati, a septuagenarian visually-challenged woman, said she has voted to "ensure that prices of essential commodities do not rise."

PTI