UP polls: 30% turnout till noon

Around 30 per cent votes were today polled till noon in 73 Assembly constituencies in the first of the seven-phase UP polls being seen as a litmus test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nearly three-year rule.

Polling was delayed in booth number 42 in Mathura's Govardhan as well as in booth number 119 and 120 in Baghpat as Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were found non-operational.

The outcome of the polls in which the SP and Congress have come together in the state for the first time are expected to be the bellwether for the next Lok Sabha polls.The BJP is hoping to return to power in the state after 13 years while Mayawati's BSP, which fared the worst the last time around, hopes to stage a comeback.

BJP categorically stated that it is an election of nationalism and not nepotism. "It is not an election of nepotism, but nationalism," BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said while casting his vote.

Asserting that both the past governments, Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) failed to provide good governance, Sharma said that people of the state now want change and development. "Election is like a festival in a democracy. This is the election of change. People want good governance, development and freedom from mafias. Crime, corruption should be eradicated. Mayawati and Akhilesh government failed in setting these things right. The basic needs of people have not been fulfilled here," he said.

Sharma also showed confidence in voters, saying that people will give a befitting reply to those who have resorted to votebank politics. "Parties here have always resorted to votebank politics. People of UP are going to give them a befitting reply this time," he said.

The polling has so far been peaceful in the 15 districts of western Uttar Pradesh, some of which are sensitive. "Polling is going on peacefully amidst tight security



arrangements and till noon around 30 per cent votes have been cast," an official said.A total of 2.60 crore voters, including over 1.17 crore women and 1,508 belonging to third gender category are eligible to cast their ballot to decide the fate of 839 candidates.

The first phase of polling will decide the electoral fortunes of Pankaj Singh (Noida seat), son of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Mathur (Mathura) against whom BJP spokesman Srikant Sharma is in fray, Mriganka Singh (Kairana), daughter of BJP MP Hukum Singh and controversial BJP MLAs Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana - Sardhan and Thanabhawan respectively.

Former BJP state president Lakshmikant Bajpai (Meerut), RJD chief Lalu Prasad's son-in-law Rahul Singh (SP) from Sikandarabad, and Sandeep Singh, grandson of Rajasthan Govenor Kalyan Singh from Atrauli are among other key figures in this phase.

The districts where polling is on in this phase are Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah and Kasganj.In the 73 constituencies where polling is being held today, SP and BSP had bagged 24 seats each, BJP 11, Rashtriya Lok Dal headed by Ajit Singh nine and Congress five in the 2012 polls.

Out of the 887 polling centres in riot-scarred Muzaffarnagar, around 600 are sensitive where video cameras have been installed to maintain strict vigil.

Around 6,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in all polling centres in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring Shamli to instill a sense of security among voters, especially with focus on areas which had witnessed communal riots in 2013.

The excise department has set up checkposts at inter-state borders as well as along the border with Nepal to check distribution of liquor to voters during elections.