Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Feb 8: Officials kept their fingers crossed as the drizzle in the morning kept the voters indoors. In the first two hours polling percentage did not cross the three percent mark. However, with the passage of time and weather turning pleasant, voters ventured out to exercise their franchise.
No untoward incident was reported from anywhere while hardly 25 EVMs were replaced from over 26700 being used in the first phase. With this UP's election drama reached its peak as the state will be in polling mode for whole one month.
Voters braved the inclement weather conditions by recording nearly 62 percent polling in the first phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Polling was held for 55 assembly seats spanning across 10 districts.
The turnout is the highest in first phase since independence. In the previous assembly elections in 2007 the voting percentage was only 47 percent. The election office was yet to release the final figures but was compiling the reports from all districts till late night. The officials hoped that the final percentage may exceed 62 percent.
District wise in which polling was held Sitapur recorded a maximum of 62-65 percent, Barabanki 62-65, Ambedkaranagar 62 and Gonda, Faizabad, Sidharthnagar each recording 60 percent. Bahraich reported 61 percent while Basti 54-60 percent.
In 2007 the turn out in these districts was - Shrawasti(36.77), Balrampur(42.46), Bahraich(42.08), Sitapur(52.1), Barabanki(51.69), Faizabad( 52.51), Sidhdharthnagar(45.91), Basti( 45.55), Anbedkaranagar(54.12) and Gonda (42.89).
The rural people once again lead the urban voters with nearly 65 percent turning out to vote while in urban areas it was only 55 percent. Election office at the state received several complains but none of them could be substantitated.
Amidst this, people in Utraula constituency in Balrampur district boycotted the polls due to lack of development in their area. There were 862 candidates in fray which included several bigwigs including union steel minister Beni Prasad Verma's son Rakesh Verma from Daryabad in Barabanki, MP Jagdambika Pal's son Abhishke Pal and several former state ministers.