Over 10% voting in UP LS polls (9 a.m.)

Over 10 per cent voting was recorded for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, according to an election official.

As of 9 a.m., the overall percentage recorded was 10.24 per cent, said Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Chandra Rai.

Meanwhile Moradabad recorded 9.90 per cent, Rampur 10 percent, Sambhal 10.80 per cent, Firozabad 8.68 per cent, Mainpuri 10.10 per cent, Etah 10.20 per cent, Badaun 11.30 per cent, Aonwla 10.30 per cent, Bareilly 10.60 per cent and Pilibhit 10.50 per cent.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m.

There were reports of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning in Mainpuri and Etah which resulted in the delay of the poll process by at least half an hour.

At a polling booth in Sambhal's Chandausi town, three EVMs had stopped working. A clash in was also reported outside a polling booth in Moradabad's Bilari.

A total of 1.78 crore electorates would decide the future of the 120 candidates in the fray including Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan, senior party leader Azam Khan and BJP's Jaya Prada.

"Arrangements have been made to conduct fair and peaceful polling," said Additional Chief Electoral Officer Brahm Dev Tiwari.

"Sufficient police force have been deployed for the third phase with extra security at all sensitive stations," Inspector General, Law and Order, Praveen Kumar said.

--IANS

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