Ghaziabad: 35% polling till noon

Voters today came out in large numbers to cast their franchise in Ghaziabad where around 35% polling was recorded till 1 PM.

Long queues could be seen in most of the polling booths across the constituency that has around 22.64 lakh voters.

"Till 1 PM, around 35% polling has been recorded. It has remained peaceful. There has been no untoward incident. Going by the trend, the voting percentage is likely to be around 60%," election officials said.

Police officials said that people started coming to cast their votes since 7 AM and voting has been smooth and peaceful so far.

"I have never seen such a smooth and peaceful polling in my 12 years of service," said Deshbir Singh, a constable in Kavinagar police station, who is posted in Rajnagar's Schiller School polling station.

A first-time voter from Patel Nagar area of the constituency, Ritu (23) said she came to cast her vote to ensure that the poor get some benefit and the youth get jobs.

Accompanied by a relative, Rammati, a visually challenged woman, said she has voted to "ensure that prices of essential commodities do not rise."

BJP's V K Singh is pitted against Congress' Raj Babbar, Aaam Admi Party's Shazia Ilmi and BSP's Mukul Upadhyay in a three-cornered fight.

District administration has identified 177 polling stations as "critical" among 2,172 stations. Around 21,600 civil and paramilitary forces personnel have been deployed to ensure smooth polling.