57.36% vote in UP Phase 5

Women queue up at a polling booth in Amethi during the fifth phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The fifth phase recorded 57.36 per cent polling, an increase of 0.27 per cent from the 2012 Assembly elections in the same phase. Polling took place in 51 seats, spread across 11 districts. The death of a candidate in Alapur had resulted in the election for that seat being postponed to March 9.

The fifth phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh recorded 57.36 per cent polling and was marred by malfunctions in EVMs.

In 2012, the voting percentage in this phase was 57.09. Polling took place in 51 of the 52 seats, spread across 11 districts. The death of Samajwadi Party’s candidate Chandrashekhar Kanaujia in Alapur (Ambedkar Nagar) made the EC defer polling there till March 9.

The districts where polling took place include Faizabad, Gonda, Balrampur, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Siddhartha Nagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi and Sultanpur. Talking to reporters, the chief electoral officer T Venkatesh said that the highest polling was recorded in Ambedkar Nagar and Shravasti where the polling percentage was 65 and the lowest voting percentage (52.4) was seen in Siddhartha Nagar

Clashes were reported from Faizabad where UP minister Awadesh Prasad was attacked by BJP supporters. The minister escaped unhurt though his car was damaged. The police have arrested nine BJP workers in connection with the attack on the minister. Polling officer Malik Ram died of heart attack in Balrampur. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

In a bizarre incident in Gonda district, a man vandalized an electronic voting machine (EVM). He has been arrested.

Reports said the incident occurred at the Abhaipur polling station in Colonelganj assembly constituency in Gonda district. The accused Ratnesh Misra went to the voting booth after getting his finger inked and began smashing the EVM. Security personnel and poll officials rushed and overpowered him. The accused is reported to have been in an inebriated state.

Former MP Bhalchandra Yadav was put under house arrest in Sant Kabir Nagar. Polling was also temporarily disrupted in Sultanpur, Amethi, Gonda, Ayodhya and Siddhartha Nagar due to EVM malfunctions.