More than half don146;t vote in phase IV

While the fourth phase of polling for 57 Assembly seats in 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh went off peacefully today...

While the fourth phase of polling for 57 Assembly seats in 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh went off peacefully today, the voting percentage continued to be low with only 46 per cent of the electorate turning out to exercise their franchise.

During the 2002 Assembly election in the same areas, the voting percentage was 57, while during the 2004 Lok Sabha election, the voting percentage was 45.7.

The Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh, Anuj Kumar Bishnoi, said the maximum 50 per cent turnout was recorded in Dhauraha, Masauli, Behta and Shohratgarh Assembly segments and the minimum 35.5 per cent was in Khalilabad.

8220;While a large turnout was witnessed in rural areas, in the cities it was not an encouraging scenario,8221; he said, and added that in Basti, a minor 15-year-old girl was caught trying to vote and a youth was arrested with arms, trying to enter a polling booth.

Bishnoi said while the EC received complaints from 10 polling stations, the voting machines developed snags at 15 polling booths. In Sant Kabirnagar, one person was arrested trying to cast his vote without valid identification.

Polling began slow today morning but picked up in the afternoon at most places under unprecedented security cover.

As per reports reaching here, BJP MP Brij Bhushan Tiwari and his family members couldn8217;t cast their votes in Basti as their names were missing from the voters8217; list.

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Gonda SP Laxmi Singh informed that Congress candidate Sushil was arrested on the charges of keeping firearms in his vehicle. Two criminals from Azamgarh were also nabbed along with him.

The districts which went to polls today included Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Basti, Siddharthnagar and Sant Kabirnagar.

The constituencies are Mohamdi SC, Utraula, Haiderabad, Sadullah Nagar, Aila SC, Mankapur SC, Lakhimpur, Mujehna, Srinagar, Gonda, Nighasan, Katra Bazar, Dhaurehra, Colonelganj, Behta, Dixir SC, Biswan, Arraiya, Mahmoodabad, Captainganj, Sidhauli SC, Nagar East SC, Laharpur, Basti, Sitapur, Ramnagar, Hargaon SC, Domariaganj, Misrikh, Itwa, Machhrehta SC, Shohratgarh, Rudauli, Naugarh, Dariyabad, Bansi, Siddhaur SC, Khesraha, Haidergarh, Menhdawal, Masauli, Khalilabad SC, Nawabganj, Hainsarbazar SC, Fatehpur SC, Ramnagar, Kaiserganj, Fakharpur, Mahsi, Nanpara, Charda SC, Bhinga, Bahraich, Ikauna SC, Gainsari, Tulsipur and Balrampur.