Second phase of polling concludes in UP; Goa, Uttarakhand register good voter turnout

New Delhi/Lucknow/Panaji: Voting in all 40 seats in Goa and 55 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the second phase of the state elections concluded on Monday, to decide the fate of several prominent leaders, including Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and and jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan. Polling was also held in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged people to vote in record numbers in the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand, Goa and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Modi in a tweet called upon people to vote in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of over 60 per cent till 5 pm Monday in the second phase of the assembly elections with another hour to go before polling booths closed.

Additional Chief Election Officer Brahma Dev Ram Tiwari said polling in the state had been peaceful till then.

Polling across 55 assembly constituencies assembly in nine districts got off to sluggish start at 7 am due to the cold and fog at several places. But the pace picked up after a couple of hours.

The constituencies in the second phase are spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur districts. Altogether 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase.

Goa

Goa registered a very high voter turnout of 78.94 per cent in polling for the 40 Assembly seats which passed off peacefully with no untoward incident reported from any part of the state which witnessed a multi-cornered contest, officials said. Electoral fate of 301 candidates were locked in EVMs which will be opened on March 10 for counting. Addressing a press conference here, Chief Electoral Officer Kunal said the highest voting was registered in the Sankhalim constituency in North Goa at 89.61 per cent, while the lowest voter turnout was 70.20 per cent at Benaulim in South Goa. He said the overall voting percentage was 78.94. "This is a tentative percentage of voting, while the exact data would be available later," the poll officer said.

Uttarakhand

Over 62 per cent polling was recorded in Uttarakhand where voting to 70 assembly seats spread over 13 districts concluded peacefully on Monday, officials said.

The polling percentage in the 2017 assembly elections in the state was 65.56 per cent.

"Polling was held peacefully at the 11,697 polling booths across the state with 62.5 per cent of the electorate casting their votes till the close of polls," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Saujanya said at a press conference.

Polling came to an end at 6 pm.

This was the fifth assembly polls held in the politically volatile hill state since its creation in 2000. A public holiday was declared by the administration for the single-day polling in the state.

The ruling BJP is seeking a consecutive second term in office in the state while the Congress is trying to make a comeback after being routed at the hands of the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls.

(With PTI inputs)