Turnout higher than that of 2012 Assembly polls and 2014 Lok Sabha polls: Third phase is crucial for the SP
Over 61.16 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise on Sunday in the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh's polls. The fate of 826 candidates in 69 Assembly constituencies is considered crucial for the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), as it is considered to be their stronghold.
Election officials said that the turnout is higher by more than 1 per cent than the last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. They added that this figure to go up and touch 63 per cent as many presiding officers were yet to report.
"The turnout of voters was 61.16 per cent when polling drew to a close at 5 pm. However, this figure is likely to go up," UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said in Lucknow. He added that polling was, by and large, peaceful. There were 25,603 polling booths.
This phase saw many senior SP leaders in the electoral fray. Many in the Yadav family were involved in what political observers believe will be a close contest, because of a resurgent Opposition and bitter infighting within the SP. It was in this phase, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav managed to win 55 seats in the region in 2012.
Many SP heavyweights — including Shivpal Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav and Akhilesh's cousin Anurag Yadav – contested in this phase.
Other prominent candidates were Nitin Agarwal, son of SP leader Naresh Agarwal, BSP turncoat Brijesh Pathak from Lucknow (Central) on the BJP ticket and Congress turncoat Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Lucknow Cantt, who is pitted against Aparna. The contest in Lucknow Cantt is considered to be a matter of prestige for both Bahugana and Aparna, who is making her debut in this election.
The maximum votes were cast in the Sitapur and Barabanki districts, which registered turnouts of 69.5 per cent and 68.3 per cent, respectively. In the 2012 Assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout in these areas was 59.96 per cent and 58.43 per cent, respectively.
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, while casting his vote in his home turf Etawah, said that there was no rift in the party and his son Akhilesh Yadav would once again become CM. Asked why he was not actively campaigning, he said: "I am campaigning. Other phases are left, I will campaign then."
From the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) side, Mayawati, who cast her vote in the Mall Avenue area in Lucknow, told reporters that her party would win over 300 of the 403 seats. "Unlike the Congress and the BJP, I am not saying this without any basis. The way the people are attending my rallies, I can say that I am going to form the next government. The people of the state want change as they are fed up with the misrule and goonda raj of SP," she said.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh cast his vote in Lucknow and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav voted in Saifai (Etawah). In a similar refrain, Singh, after casting his vote, claimed that the BJP would secure an absolute majority in UP. And at Saifai, a confident Akhilesh said, "The voters have made up their minds in favour of the SP-Congress alliance."
The remaining phases will be held on February 23 and 27 and March 4 and 8. The results will be out on March 11.
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