The third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections witnessed 61.16 per cent voter turnout on Sunday, which concluded by and large peacefully, said state Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh. "Turnout of voters was 61.16 per cent when polling drew to a close at 5 PM," he said. As many as 69 assembly constituencies went to polls in this phase, which is considered as crucial for the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state. The UP CEO also said that tight security arrangements were put in place at all the 25,603 polling booths. According to Election Commission, the third phase also witnessed record seizure of Rs 38.40 crore cash and 2.04 lakh litres liquor. ALSO WATCH | Assembly Elections 2017: How Has UP Voted In The Past Explained The polling percentage was 64.2 in the first phase of the ongoing election, while the second phase recorded a little over 65. In the 2012 Assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout in these areas was 59.96 and 58.43 per cent respectively. Besides BSP supremo Mayawati, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh cast his vote along with his family members in Lucknow, while Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav voted in Saifai (Etawah). Although the polling began slowly, it picked up pace later. However, there were reports of minor skirmishes between the supporters of the candidates at some polling booths. WATCH VIDEO | SP Will Form Govt In Alliance With Congress: CM Akhilesh Yadav In the 2012 Assembly polls, the SP had won 55 of these 69 seats, while the BSP, BJP and Congress had secured only six, five and two seats respectively. One seat was won by an Independent. There were 826 candidates in the fray in the third phase whose fate will be decided by 2.41 crore voters. With inputs from PTI
