Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh has recorded 65.5 % voter turnout, till 5 pm, in Phase 2 polling in 67 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Maximum voting was reported from Saharanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri where voting crossed 42 per cent till 1 p.m.

In the same time, voting in Bareilly crossed 39 per cent, while brisk voting in the early hours in Moradabad ensured 41 per cent polling.

In Shahjahanpur, polling was at 39 per cent, while in Pilibhit, the parliamentary constituency of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, it was at 42.

Barring some places where Electronic Voting Machines developed some snags, polling was smooth and peaceful in most of the 67 assembly constituencies across 11 districts.

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 PIC: ABP News

  • Over 25% polling till noon.

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 UP Election Phase 2 Polling: First voter casts his vote in Uttar Pradesh polls' second phase, receives a certificate from EC/ ABP News image

 UP Election Phase 2 Polling: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stands in queue to cast vote in UP/ Image courtesy: ANI

 UP Election Phase 2 Polling: Voter casts his vote in Bareilly/ ABP News Image

Chief Electoral Officer T. said that 2,983 of the total 23,695 polling booths have been identified as sensitive and security scaled up there.

 UP Election Phase 2 Polling: Polling booths decked up for the phase 2 of UP polls/ ABP News Image

Polling began on Wednesday morning amid tight security at 7 a.m.

The fate of 721 candidates is to be sealed by 2.28 crore voters, of whom a sizable number (47.72 lakh) are the youths aged 18-19 years.

Chief Electoral Officer T. Venkatesh said that 2,983 of the total 23,695 polling booths were identified as sensitive and security was scaled up there.

Long queues of women, differently-abled and elderly voters were seen in most parts outside the poll booths.

In the 2012 assembly polls, the average polling in these constituencies was 64 per cent.

Prominent contestants include controversial SP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, who are contesting from Rampur and Swar seats respectively, Saif Ali Naqvi, son of former Congress MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former central minister Jitin Prasada from Tilhar (Shahjahanpur), BJP Legislature Party leader Suresh Kumar Khanna from Shahjahanpur city and state minister Mehboob Ali from Amroha.

(With agency inputs)