Assembly elections: 60% turnout in Uttar Pradesh phase-4 polls

Spread over nine districts, the 59 constituencies had in the previous Assembly election seen a turnout of 62.55 per cent, and, in the Lok Sabha polls, recorded 60.03 per cent voting.

According to the voter turnout app, Pilibhit recorded 67.59 per cent polling, followed by Lakhimpur Kheri — where farmers were mowed down last year by a convoy that included the car of Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra — at 65.54 per cent. Sitapur reported 58.39 per cent polling, Hardoi 58.99 per cent, Unnao 57.73 per cent, Lucknow 55.92 per cent, Rae Bareli 61.90 per cent, Banda 57.54 per cent, and Fatehpur 60.07 per cent.

Karhal’s booth 266, where a repoll was ordered by the EC, saw around 73.67 per cent of votes cast till 5 pm. The seat, where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is in the fray against Union minister and BJP’s S P Singh Baghel, went to polls in the third phase on February 20.

While poll panel officials claimed that voting was largely peaceful, the Samajwadi Party has alleged certain irregularities in some areas of Lucknow, Unnao, Hardoi and Sitapur and demanded action.

In Lucknow, BSP president Mayawati, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, state minister Brajesh Pathak, and many senior officials were among the early voters. In Lakhimpur Kheri, Union minister and BJP leader Ajay Mishra cast his vote. His son Ashish Mishra is an accused in the case of violence and was released on bail recently. Ajay Mishra did not speak to the media on Wednesday.

Of the seats that went to polls Wednesday, the BJP had won 51 in the 2017 state elections, while the Samajwadi Party had managed to win four and the BSP three. BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) had won one.

According to the EC, around 2.3 crore voters had registered for the fourth phase of polling, including 1.14 crore men and 99.3 lakh women. It said 24,643 polling booths and 13,817 polling centres were set up. — With PTI Inputs