61.16 per cent turnout in Uttar Pradesh phase III
Most of the parties claimed they would form the next government
LUCKNOW: A 61.16-per cent voter turnout was on Sunday recorded in the third phase of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh polls which concluded by and large peacefully.
As many as 69 Assembly constituencies in the Yadav heartland, considered crucial for the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state, went to the polls in this phase.
“Turnout of voters was 61.16 per cent when polling drew to a close at 5 PM,” UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said.
He said the exercise was held by and large peacefully in this phase, adding that tight security arrangements were put in place at all the 25,603 polling booths.
In the 2012 Assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout in these areas was 59.96 and 58.43 per cent respectively.
The polling percentage was 64.2 in the first phase of the ongoing election and a little over 65 in the second phase.
Besides BSP supremo May- awati, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh cast his vote along with his family members in Lucknow, while Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav voted in Saifai (Etawah).
Most of the leaders claimed that the parties they represent will form the next government in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lambasted the SP government for its “failure “to maintain law and order in Uttar Pradesh, saying ‘goonda raj’ was prevailing there and even the Supreme Court has had to intervene to get a minister booked in an alleged rape case.
“The SC had to intervene to get the FIR registered against Gayatri Prasad Prajapati. ‘Goonda raj’ is prevailing all over UP and police stations have become Samajwadi Party office,” Modi said at an election rally here.
Mayawati, who cast her vote in the Mall Avenue area here, told reporters that BSP would win over 300 of the 403 seats.
In a similar refrain, Singh, after casting his vote here, claimed that the BJP would secure an absolute majority in UP.
In a shot in the arm for the ruling Samajwadi, party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday said there was no rift in the party and his son Akhilesh Yadav will become CM again.
“There is no rift in SP. Akh- ilesh will become chief minister as a lot of development work was done in his regime,” Yadav told reporters after casting his vote here.
Asked why he was not actively campaigning for his party candidates, he said, “I am campaigning. Other phases are left, I will campaign.”
At Saifai, Akhilesh said, “The voters have made up their minds in favour of the Sp-congress alliance.”
Polling in this phase began slowly but picked up pace later. There were reports of minor skirmishes between the supporters of the candidates at some polling booths.
SP leader and Akhilesh’s uncle Shivpal Yadav complained that his supporters were attacked by the “political opponents” in his Jaswantnagar constituency.
In the 2012 Assembly polls, the SP had won 55 of these 69 seats, while the BSP, BJP and Congress had secured only six, five and two seats respectively. One seat was won by an Independent.
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LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday casted their votes in the third phase of UP elections and claimed that their parties will form the next government.
BSP supremo Mayawati, who cast her vote in Mall Avenue area, told repoters that her party is winning over 300 seats in the state and she is going to form the next government in UP.
“Going by the trends of first two phases, I can say that BSP will take lead in this phase also and remain number one in other phases too. We are going to form the next government on our own and we are winning over 300 seats,” she said.
“Like Congress and BJP, I am not talking this without any base. The way in which people are attending my rallies, I can say I am going to form the next government. The people of state want change and are fed up with misrule and ‘gundaraj’ of SP,” Mayawati said.
On BJP, she said the party had not fulfilled even half of its promises made in Lok Sabha polls and people are “not going to give them any chance in UP”.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, after casting his votes here, also claimed that BJP was getting the majority.
“I am sure that BJP is going to get absolute majority,” Singh said while appealing to people to come out in large numbers for voting.
In Saifai (Etawah), SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav too aired similar views for his party alliance after casting his vote.
“People of the state have made up their mind in favour of Sp-congress alliance.