Assembly Polls: Highest Turnout in Goa, UP, Uttarkhand Log Nearly 60% till 5 p.m

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of over 60% till 5 pm on Monday in the second phase of the Assembly elections with another hour to go before polling booths closed.

Additional Chief Election Officer Brahma Dev Ram Tiwari said polling in the state had been peaceful till then.

Polling across 55 Assembly constituencies in nine districts got off to a sluggish start at 7 a.m due to the cold and fog at several places. But the pace picked up after a couple of hours.

The constituencies in the second phase are spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur districts.  Altogether 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase.

Till 5 pm, Saharanpur recorded a turnout of 67.13%, Bijnor 61.48%, Moradabad 64.88%, Sambhal 56.93% , Rampur 60.30% , Amroha 66.19%, Budaun 55.91%, Bareilly 57.88% and Shahjahanpur 55.25%. The overall turnout till then was 60.44% .

The same districts had recorded an average turnout of 65.53% in the 2017 Assembly polls and 63.13% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

 A turnout of 62.4% was recorded in the first phase of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on February 10.

Of the 55 seats in which voting was held in the second phase, the BJP had won 38 in the 2017 Assembly polls, the SP bagged 15 and the Congress two.

Of the 15 seats then won by the SP, Muslim candidates were elected on 10.

Prominent candidates include former minister Dharam Singh Saini who joined the SP shortly before the elections and is trying his luck from Nakur. Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna is contesting from Shahjahanpur.

Senior SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan is contesting from his stronghold Rampur and his son Abdullah Azam from the Suar seat.

The younger Azam is pitted against Haider Ali Khan, the scion of the Nawabs of Rampur, who is trying his luck on a ticket from the Apna Dal (Sonelal), a BJP ally. He is the grandson of former MP Noor Bano.

UP Minister of State for Jal Shakti Baldev Singh Aulakh is contesting from Bilaspur, Minister of State for Urban Development Mahesh Chandra Gupta from Budaun and Minister of State for Secondary Education Gulab Devi from Chandausi. 

Over 59% Tunrout in U'khand till 5 pm

Over 59% polling was recorded till 5 pm on Monday in Uttarakhand where voting took place for 70 assembly seats spread over 13 districts, officials said in Dehradun.

Long queues of voters were seen outside booths as polling began at 8 am amid strict adherence to COVID protocols. People were allowed to cast their votes only after wearing gloves.

Till 5 pm, 59.37% = polling was recorded in the state, Election Commission officials here said as polling ended at 6 pm.

Haridwar district saw the highest voter turnout at 67.58% followed by Uttarkashi with 65.55%, Udham Singh Nagar 65.13%, Nainital 63.12%, Rudraprayag 60.36%, Chamoli 59%, Bageshwar 57.83%, Champawat 56.97%, Dehradun 52.93%, Tehri 52.66%,  Pauri Garhwal 51.93%, Almora 50.65% and Pithoragarh 57.19%, officials said giving data till 5 pm.

The ruling BJP is seeking a consecutive second term in office in the state while the Congress is trying to make a comeback after being routed at the hands of the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls.

The AAP, which has also thrown its hat in the ring, has declared Kothiyal as its chief ministerial candidate.

For the first time, 101 all-women 'Sakhi' polling booths run by women were set up in the state to encourage participation of women in the polling process, Saujanya said.

Similarly, six polling booths manned by differently abled persons were also set up, she said.

Prominent candidates whose fate is to be decided in these polls include chief minister Dhami, his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rekha Arya besides state BJP president Madan Kaushik.

Noted faces from the Congress in the fray include former chief minister Harish Rawat, former minister Yashpal Arya, Godiyal and Pritam Singh.

Goa sees 60.18% voter turnout till 3 pm

Goa recorded a 60.18% voter turnout till 3 pm on Monday (some reports said close to 70% till 5 pm) as polling is underway for the 40 Assembly seats in the coastal state where a multi-party contest is playing out while the ruling BJP is seeking a third straight term.

As per the Election Commission of India's data, 60.18% of voters cast  their vote by 3 PM with the Sankhalim Assembly constituency in North Goa recording the maximum 70% turnout.

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant is seeking another term as MLA from the Sankhalim segment.

Sanguem Assembly constituency in south Goa recorded 69.47% polling till 3 PM followed by 66.58% in Quepem.

In contrast, the keenly-contested Panaji constituency witnessed a low turnout of 55.10% till 3 PM.

The lowest 53.38% voting was reported at Sanvordem till 3 PM.

the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Local Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party, which has tied up with TMC, and the Goa Forward Party, which stitched an alliance with Congress, are also in the fray against the ruling BJP. The NCP and Shiv Sena have also fielded candidates.