Phase 1 Polling: UP Records 20.3% Voter Turnout Till 11 am

A voter turnout of 20.3 per cent was recorded till 11 am on Thursday in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, according to the Election Commission (EC).

The Shamli district witnessed the highest voting percentage with a voter turnout of 22.84 till the said time, while the Ghaziabad district witnessed the lowest voter turnout of 17.26 per cent.

Among all the 11 districts of the state, Agra recorded a voter turnout of 20.42 per cent, Gautam Budh Nagar 18.43 per cent, Meerut recorded 18.92 per cent, Muzaffarnagar recorded 22.56 per cent, Mathura recorded 20.39 per cent, Aligarh recorded 17.91 per cent, Baghpat recorded 22.24 per cent, Bulandshahr recorded 21.63 per cent and Hapur recorded 22.78 per cent till 11 am.

Voting for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections began on Thursday at 7:00 am.

Covering the Jat-dominant belt of western Uttar Pradesh, the first phase of polls cover 58 assembly constituencies across 11 districts of the state.

The voting, which will conclude at 6:00 pm today, is taking place at 25,849 polling stations and 10,766 polling centres.

As many as 623 candidates are in the fray on 58 assembly seats where polls are being held today.

As per the set norms, the campaigning for the first phase of the UP polls ended on Tuesday (February 8) at 6 pm, marking the start of a 48-hour-long silence period.

The police have sealed the borders of the state and strict vigilance is underway to maintain peace in 58 constituencies where elections are underway.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all the voters in Uttar Pradesh to participate in the elections while following the necessary COVID-19 guidelines.

“Today is the first phase of voting in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. I request all the voters to participate enthusiastically in this holy festival of democracy by following the rules of COVID. Remember – Vote first, then refreshments,” read PM Modi’s tweet roughly translated from Hindi.

The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in seven phases on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3, and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)