Elections 2022: Goa recorded 78.94% voter turnout and Uttarakhand 62.5% as the final voting percentage in the single-phase polling on Monday.
Uttar Pradesh witnessed 60.44% voting in the second phase of assembly elections in the state, news agency PTI reported.
Voting in Uttar Pradesh and Goa began at 7 am, while in Uttarakhand, long queues of voters were seen outside booths as polling began at 8 am amid strict adherence to COVID protocols.
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UP Election Phase 2 Polling | District-Wise Voter Turnout
Final voter turnout of 60.44% was recorded till 6 PM on Monday in Uttar Pradesh as polling for the second phase of the assembly election picked up pace after a slow start.
The second phase of Uttar Pradesh Election covered 55 seats spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur districts where as many as 586 candidates are in the fray.
According to IANS, the highest voting was in Saharanpur, at 67.52%, and the lowest in Shahjahanpur at 55.20%.
- Saharanpur - 67.52%
- Amroha - 66.15%
- Moradabad - 64.56%
- Rampur - 62.31%
- Bijnor - 62.11%
- Bareilly - 58.82%
- Sambhal - 56.88%
- Badaun - 56.83%
- Shahjahanpur - 55.20%
These districts had recorded an average turnout of 65.53% in 2017 assembly polls and 63.13% in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
On February 10, a turnout of 62.4% was recorded in the first phase of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The Samajwadi Party alleged that a person had voted for the SP but the vote went to the lotus symbol (BJP) at a polling booth in Behat in Saharanpur.
Responding to the claim, Additional Chief Election Officer Brahma Dev Ram Tiwari said, "Teams were sent to the booth, but the information was found to be false."
He also informed that the Election Commission has taken cognisance of complaints that members of the Yadav community were allegedly not allowed to cast their votes, PTI reported.
On UP BJP leader JPS Rathore alleging fake voting by burqa-clad women, the Additional Chief Election Officer said, "A report has been sought from the district magistrate, and so far, there is no truth in this."
Goa Election 2022 — District-Wise Voter Turnout
Goa recorded an impressive 78.94% voter turnout on Monday as polling was held for the 40 Assembly seats in the coastal state where a multi-party contest is being witnessed.
According to Goa Chief Electoral Officer Kunal, the highest voter turnout was recorded in the Sanquelim constituency at 89.64%. In today's polling 14 EVMs and 8 ballet were replaced, he informed, as reported by ANI.
The voter turnout for North Goa and South Goa is as follows:
- North Goa - 79%
- South Goa - 78%
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is seeking another term as MLA from the Sankhalim segment. Meanwhile, the main contest in Panaji lies between Utpal Parrikar, son of the late chief minister Manohar Parrikar, contesting as an Independent after the BJP denied him a ticket, against sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate.
More than 11 lakh people were reported to be eligible to cast their votes in Goa. They include 9,590 people with disabilities, 2,997 aged over 80 years, 41 sex workers, and nine transgenders.
As previously mentioned, Goa is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Local Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party tied up with TMC while the Goa Forward Party stitched an alliance with Congress in a bit to dethrone the ruling BJP. NCP and Shiv Sena also fielded candidates.
To check the spread of COVID-19, voters were provided hand gloves at the polling stations, an election official told PTI. More than 100 'all-women' polling booths were set up in the state for the convenience of female voters.
Uttarakhand Election 2022 — District-Wise Voter Turnout
62.5% polling was recorded in Uttarakhand where voting took place for 70 assembly seats spread over 13 districts, PTI reported.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami cast his vote in Khatima, Trivendra Rawat, and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in Dehradun, Ajay Kothiyal in Uttarkashi, and Ramdev at a polling booth in Kankhal in Haridwar.
In Uttarakhand, the highest was in Haridwar 68.37% and the lowest in Almora district at 50.65%, reported IANS.
- Haridwar - 68.37%
- Uttarkashi - 65.55%
- Udham Singh Nagar - 65.13%
- Nainital - 63.12%
- Rudraprayag - 60.36%
- Chamoli - 59.28%
- Tehri Garhwal - 52.66%
- Bageshwar - 57.83%
- Pithoragarh - 57.49%
- Champawat - 56.97%
- Dehradun - 52.93%
- Pauri Garhwal - 51.93%
- Almora - 50.65%
This was the fifth assembly election held in the hill state since its creation in 2000.
The ruling BJP is seeking a consecutive second term while Congress is trying to make a comeback after its loss in the 2017 assembly polls.
AAP declared Ajay Kothiyal as its chief ministerial candidate.
A total of 81,72173 voters in the state were eligible to decide the fate of 632 candidates in the fray, including 152 independents, in this election.
As many as 11,697 polling booths spread over 8,624 locations were set up, PTI reported.
For the first time, 101 all-women 'Sakhi' polling booths run by women were set up to encourage participation of women in the polling process, Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya said. Similarly, six polling booths manned by differently-abled persons were also set up, she added.
Prominent candidates whose fate is to be decided in these polls include chief minister Dhami, his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rekha Arya besides state BJP president Madan Kaushik.
Noted faces from Congress in the fray include former chief minister Harish Rawat, former minister Yashpal Arya, Godiyal and Pritam Singh.
Prominent Candidates In UP Election - Phase 2
In Uttar Pradesh, the prominent faces in the fray include former minister Dharam Singh Saini, trying his luck from the Nakur seat. Then, senior SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan was fielded from his stronghold Rampur, while Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna is contesting from Shahjahanpur.
The SP fielded Mohammad Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam from the Swar seat. Haider Ali Khan, the heir of the Nawabs of Rampur, challenged him on a ticket from the Apna Dal (Sonelal), a BJP ally. Haider Ali Khan is the grandson of former MP Noor Bano.
Ministers whose fate will be decided in the second phase include Minister of State for Jal Shakti Baldev Singh Aulakh (Bilaspur), Minister of State for Urban Development Mahesh Chandra Gupta (Badaun), and Minister of State for Secondary Education Gulab Devi (Chandausi).
Former Bareilly mayor Supriya Aron contested from Bareilly Cantonment on an SP ticket.
The counting of votes for all five states will be taken up on March 10.
(With Inputs From Agencies)