Lucknow: The first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Saturday recorded a 64.2 per cent turnout and witnessed sporadic violence.
In the 2012 Assembly elections in the state, 59.4 per cent voters had exercised their franchise. The Election Commission attributed the increase in voter turnout to its awareness campaigns.
The highest poll average was reported from Fatehabad in Agra where the voting percentage touched 71 per cent, and the lowest was in Noida where 51 per cent came out to vote.
Chief Electoral Officer T. Venkatesh told reporters in Lucknow that polling was held in 73 Assembly seats spread across 15 districts in western UP.
He said that polling was largely peaceful, though some incidents of violence were reported. For the first time, the EC did webcasting at 2,857 places.
Trouble, however, was reported from constituencies that had been marked sensitive.
Senior BJP MLA Sangeet Som’s brother Gagan Som was detained by the police on Saturday for carrying a pistol inside a polling booth at Faridpur village in Meerut.
There was stone-throwing at Kithore in Meerut, where UP minister Shahid Mazoor faced a hostile crowd. Clashes were reported from Baghpat when a group of people tried to stop voters from casting their votes.
