Amid minor violence, 60.12 percent voting in UP

Lucknow, April 24 (IANS) Barring minor incidents of firing blanks, stone pelting and scuffles, 60.12 percent of the 2.03 crore voters exercised their franchise in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh Thursday.

 The balloting in the 12 parliamentary constituencies sealed the fate of 188 candidates.

Voting was held at 21,990 polling stations, of which 4,757 were declared sensitive.

At 12 polling stations, people boycotted polling for various reasons, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umesh Sinha toldf IANS. These booths were spread in Etah, Firozabad, Iglas, Sirsaganj, Fatehpur Sikri, Etawah and Mathura.

Complaints were received of technical glitches in 46 electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Voter turnout in Firozabad was the highest at 66 percent, up from 48.22 percent in 2009. In Mainpuri from where Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha, 60.80 percent cast votes, 11 percent more than the last general elections.

Voting in Fatehpur Sikri was 61.27 percent while it was 63.48 percent in Kannauj from where Dimple Yadav, wife of state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, is a candidate.

In Akbarpur, 56.54 percent voting was recorded while it was 56.30 percent in Etawah. In Farukkhabad, where union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is a Congress candidate, 59.60 percent people cast votes.

In both Etah and Agra, 59.80 percent of the electorate showed up. Large number of people came out in Mathura where film star-turned-politician Hema Malini is locked in a direct contest with Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Jayant Chaudhary. In Hathras, voting was 57.20 percent.