About 55 pc voting in Ferozabad; 50pc in 11 Assy seats in Uttar Pradesh bypolls

Lucknow, Nov 7 : An estimated 55 per cent of the total voters today exercised their franchise in by-election at Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat, while about 50 per cent electorate turned out at 11 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.

According to Uttar Pradesh Election Office sources, the polling was held peacefully and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere.

About 55 per cent voters used their democratic right at Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat, witnessing a direct fight between Congress candidate Raj Babbar and SP candidate Dimple Yadav, the daughter-in-law of SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav, while about 50 per cent voters came out to caste their votes at 11 Assembly seats.

A report from Ferozabad, quoting official sources, said a minor clash took place between Congress and BSP supporters at Pratappur village under Khairagarh police station in Jasrana Assembly seat.

Mr Babbar also visited several booths to review the polling process.

A report from Jaunpur said BSP candidate Rajdeo Singh sustained minor injuries after he was attacked at Jatalpur booth in Rari constituency. The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) of the candidate was damaged in the incident.

One person was arrested in this regard. The polling was suspended for some time.

The BSP candidate from Rari is the father of criminal-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh, who had vacated this seat after being elected to the Lok Sabha.

In another incident, BSP MLA from Mohamadabad in Sitapur, Rajendra Kumar, was asked by the Sultanpur district authorities to leave the district after he tried to interfere into the polling process in Isauli Assembly segment. In a pre-poll crime, a Congress supporter was shot dead in the Bharthana Assembly seat.

Over 500 voters of Agya polling centre boycotted bypoll at Hainser Bazaar Assembly seat in Siddharthnagar district.

Official sources said the people boycotted the election in protest of their long-pending demand for a road and some other construction work.

Altogether 177 candidates, including 12 women, are in the fray for the bypolls. A total 49 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their democratic rights at 5,613 polling booths.

A total 2,300 micro observers had been deployed to oversee the polling process, while 2,200 digital cameras and 700 video cameras were being used to record the polling.

The Election Commission had identified 1,900 booths as sensitive and polling was going on under special security arrangements.

In Ferozabad, the EC had deployed five Central observers to oversee the election process.

The 11 Assembly seats going to polls are: Poawayan(SC), Lucknow (West), Isauli, Hainsar Bazar, Padrauna, Kolasala, Rari, Etawah, Barthana, Lalitpur and Jhansi. Ferozabad is the lone Lok Sabha seat.

Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pradeep Jain Aditya had vacated the Jhansi assembly seat, while Bharthana was vacated by SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav after they were elected to the Lok Sabha.

The Lucknow (west) seat was vacated by BJP member Lalji Tandon after he was elected to the Lok Sabha and similarly the sitting SP member from Powayan resigned after being elected to Lok Sabha.

The Assembly seats of Hainsar Bazar, Isauli, Rari, Etawah and Kolasala also fell vacant after the members resigned.

The Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat fell vacant when SP's Akhilesh Yadav resigned after being elected from both Ferozabad and Kannauj Lok Sabha seats in the last General elections.

The counting of votes would be taken up on November 10.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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