Second phase UP polls: 36 percent higher voting than 2007

The polling percentage in the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls Saturday may go up to 59 percent, the Election Commission said here, adding that the balloting was nearly 36 percent higher than in the 2007 polls in the nine districts.

In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said that the final figure on Saturday’s polling percentage may cross 60 percent.

The polling percentage for the nine districts that went to polls Saturday was 43.41 percent in 2007 elections, Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla told reporters here.

He said that the polling percentage Saturday was estimated to be 57 percent till 5 p.m. and the final figure may go up to 59 percent.

The second phase polling was peaceful, he said.

Election Commission officials said the second phase was “very good polling” as voting had taken place even in the “traditional low voting areas”.

“In the first phase of polling, the increase was 33 percent over the 2007 polling percentage but in the second phase it is expected to be 36 percent,” an official said.

The districts that went to the polls in the second phase were Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Ghazipur, Maharajganj, Deoria, Mau, Sant Kabir Nagar and Kushinagar, where 20,426 polling stations with some 20,800 electronic voting machines were in place.

Over 1.9 crore voters were eligible to vote in Saturday’s poll to elect 1,098 candidates, including 76 women.

The first phase of polling was held Feb 8. The third phase of election is scheduled for Feb 15.