Over 44 per cent voting in UP

By 3 PM, 44.51 per cent voting was recorded in 18 seats of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Varanasi saw a turnout of 45.20 per cent by 3 PM.
In Azamgarh, where SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is in fray to counter "Modi effect", 46 per cent voters have exercised their franchise.
As many as 328 candidates, including Narendra Modi, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal are in the fray in this last leg of polling.
The highest turnout of 46.80 per cent was recorded in Chanduali constituency.
Over three crore voters including 1.42 crore women are participating in the last phase of the elections to decide the fate of these candidates at 19,881 polling centres spread across 14 districts of Eastern UP.

In Kushinagar where Minister of State for Home RPN Singh is contesting 45.80 per cent votes have been cast, Gorakhpur where BJP's Yogi Adityanath is in the fray 45.50 votes have been polled.

Domariyaganj recorded 30.20, Deoria 44.60, Maharajganj 44.60, Bansgaon 41.8, Lalganj 46, Ghosi 45.86, Salempur 42, Ballia 43.5, Jaunpur 36.80, Machhlishahr 42.20, Ghazipur 44.46, Chandauli 46.80, Varanasi 45.20, Mirzapur 42.96 and Robertsganj 45.05 per cent votes were cast, data from Election Commission said.
There were reports of technical snags in EVMs at some places which have been rectified, they said.
In Chandauli there was complaint that laptops used in the polling station bore the pictures of SP leaders, sources said, adding they have removed.

A report from Maharajganj said that there are reports of snag in polling machines in three polling stations of Nautenwa, Panera and Sadar and in a village in Ballia was boycotting polling.
While maximum number of 42 candidates are in fray from Varanasi, minimum of 12 candidates are contesting from Bansgaon.
In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party had clinched six seats from the region, BSP five, BJP four and Congress had managed three seats.
Interestingly, BSP had registered marginal loss and ended up in the second place in 12 seats.
In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, 46.55 per cent votes were polled in these constituencies, while in 2012 assembly polls the percentage was 56.28.