Lucknow, Nov 3 (IANS): The average voter turnout in the by-elections to seven Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday was 51.2 per cent at 5 p.m., as per the figures released by the state electoral office.

The highest voting percentage was reported from Naugawan Sadat (57 per cent) and lowest was from Ghatampur (47 per cent).

Polling was held amidst tight security, following the safety protocols of Covid-19, and no violence was reported during the polling.

In Tundla and Bangarmau, some villagers refused to vote in protest against lack of development in their villages but in Bulandshahr, a corona patient came to cast his vote wearing a PPE suit.

EVM glitches were reported from some polling stations but the problems were solved by the officials without disrupting polling.

This is the first electoral exercise being held in the state during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Voters exercised their franchise at 3,655 polling booths spread over 1,754 polling centres.

The electoral fortune of 88 candidates, including nine women, were sealed by 24.34 lakh voters, including 13.03 lakh male voters on Tuesday.

The seats where by-elections were held included Tundla, Ghatampur, Naugawan Sadat, Bulandshahr, Bangarmau, Deoria and Malhani.

Six of these seats were held by the BJP while Malhani seat was held by the Samajwadi Party.

Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said that all preparations to ensure a free, fair and peaceful polling, keeping in mind coronavirus pandemic had been made.

Counting of votes will take place on November 10.

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