Phase II: 59 per cent turnout

While Ballia and Deoria districts witnessed lowest voters’ turnout of 54 per cent,Kushinagar saw the highest voters’ turnout of 63 per cent,followed by Ghazipur with 61 per cent,Azamgarh and Maharajganj with 60 per cent,Mau with 59 per cent,Gorakhpur with 58 per cent,and Sant Kabir Nagar with 56 per cent,Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said.

Sinha said that polling went on smoothly and without any obstruction,except for some minor problems with the electronic voting machines (EVMs),which were taken care of immediately.

He said two complaints were received from Gorakhpur and Deoria districts about the names of voters who were not allowed to cast their votes as they had EPICs but there names were not in the voters’ lists. He has asked the district election officials for an inquiry into the matter.

BSP state president and panchayati raj minister Swami Prasad Maurya,who was insisting on going to check the EVMs,had an argument with the security personnel at a polling station in his Assembly constituency of Padrauna in Kushinagar district in the morning. Sinha said he has asked the district election officer to send a report on the matter too.

Sinha added that the candidates and polling agents are allowed to enter the booths but they need to take prior permission from the presiding officer.

A presiding officer in Campierganj,Ghanshyam Mishra,died of brain haemorrhage. Sinha said an ex gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh has been released to Mishra’s family.