The Election Commission of India reported a total voter turnout of 57.90 percent across all eight parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh during the first phase of the Lok Sabha election held on Friday. A total of 80 candidates, comprising 73 men and seven women, are contesting in this phase in the state.
Saharanpur recorded a voter turnout of 63.29 percent, Rampur recorded 52.42 percent, Muzaffarnagar recorded 54.91 percent, and Pilibhit recorded 60.23 percent, according to the ECI.
“The first phase of elections proceeded peacefully in eight Lok Sabha constituencies today. Voting commenced at 7 am at most locations and concluded by 6 pm, although it is ongoing at some places. As of 5 pm, the average voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh stands at 67.54 percent,” stated Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa.
Additionally, Rinwa mentioned that the state poll body office received complaints from various political parties and candidates regarding the malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) via email.
“Complaints of malfunctioning EVMs were received from various political parties and candidates through various mediums, mainly through emails. All the complaints were promptly sent to the districts. There was no incident of violence anywhere, there was a minor scuffle between two parties outside a booth, but prompt action was taken by the police there,” he added.
In Bijnor, the voter turnout stood at 54.68 percent, while Kairana recorded 60.39 percent, Moradabad saw 58.25 percent, and Nagina had a turnout of 59.17 percent.
Moving forward, voting for phases two is scheduled for April 19 and April 26. Subsequently, the state will once again head to the polls for phases three and four on May 7 and May 13.
