UP records 54% voter turnout till 5 PM

Fate of presidents of top two political outfits viz Congress' Sonia Gandhi and Rajnath Singh of BJP would be sealed by 6pm

PTI Lucknow
Last Updated : Apr 30 2014 | 6:39 PM IST
Nearly 54% voters exercised their franchise till 1700 hours in Uttar Pradesh, where polling is underway in 14 seats to decide the fate of 233 candidates.

UP Governor B L Joshi, BSP supremo Mayawati, Congress candidate from Lucknow Rita Bahuguna Joshi, BJP National President Rajnath Singh and party leader Kalraj Mishra were among those who exercised their franchise.

Dhaurahra witnessed 62.8% polling till 1700 hours while Sitapur and Mishrikh recorded 59.4 and 53.96% polling respectively.

Unnao recorded 50.94% polling, Mohanlalganj 56%, Lucknow 50.5%, Rae Bareli 48.1%, Kanpur 50.2%, Jalaun 52%, Jhansi 63%, Hamirpur 49.1%, Banda 47.52%, Fatehpur 54.58% and Barabanki recorded 58.19% polling.

In Sitapur an FIR has been lodged against SP MLA Rampal Yadav after he entered into an altercation with CRPF jawan Dharampal Singh at Nauabehad polling booth in Biswan area.

The fate of 233 candidates will be decided by 2.46 crore voters that include 1.34 crore men and 1.12 crore women.

A total of 25,485 polling centres have been set up in which 3554 have been identified as critical. The focus would be on Rae Bareli and Lucknow seats from where Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP President Rajnath Singh are in the fray.

Gandhi, who is contesting from her traditional Rae Bareli seat, has no major contestant against her with SP deciding not to field its candidate against her.

The prestigious Lucknow seat, which is in the limelight with the entry of the BJP's national president, is set to witness a tricky contest.

Rajnath, who is facing a four-cornered contest has two tasks at hand - first to maintain legacy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and second to ensure a victory margin matching with his political stature.

Meanwhile, British High Commissioner James David Bevan today reached Lucknow and visited a number of polling centres to see the polling exercise.

According to official sources he also visited the election commission office and met Governor Joshi, Rajnath, Mayawati and Rita Joshi.

He is also to visited polling centre in Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 30 2014 | 6:39 PM IST

Next Story