UP 5th phase voting: Over 8% polling recorded in 61 Assembly seats till 9 am

Lucknow: Polling for the fifth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, covering 61 seats across 12 districts, on Sunday (February 27) began with a slow start with just over eight per cent of the voters exercising their right in the first two hours of voting.

The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Around 2.24 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase. The polling percentage till 9 am is 8.02, as per ECI's Voter turnout app.

As many as 692 candidates are in the fray in this round including Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is contesting from Sirathu in Kaushambi district. He is pitted against Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) candidate Pallavi Patel.

Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya offered prayers at his residence as voting in the fifth phase started. He told ANI, "I believe that people of Sirathu will bloom Lotus and make the son of Sirathu win with a big margin of votes. BJP Govt has been working for the welfare of the 24 crore people of Uttar Pradesh. That is why people have made up their mind that to bloom the Lotus."

Maurya further said, "On 10th March, with the blessings of people, the cycle of Akhilesh Yadav, who is flying high in the sky of arrogance, will fall in the Bay of Bengal. His bicycle had flown to Saifai first and now it will go to the Bay of Bengal."

Maurya, who is contesting from Sirathu, casted his vote at a polling booth in Prayagraj, told ANI, "I appeal to the people to vote in as many numbers as possible. We will secure 300+ seats and form govt." 

According to ECI's Voter turnout app, Amethi recorded 8.67 per cent voting, Ayodhya had 9.44 per cent, Bahraich 7.45 per cent, Barabanki 6.21 per cent, Chitrakoot 8.80 per cent, Gonda 8.31 per cent, Kaushambi 11.40 per cent, Pratapgarh 6.95 per cent, Prayagraj 6.95 per cent, Raebareli 7.48 per cent, Shrawasti 9.67 per cent and Sultanpur 8.60 per cent.

Notably, the districts where polling is being held are Sultanpur, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Barabanki, Bahraich, Shravasti and Gonda. Amethi and Raebareli, once considered the Congress bastions, and Ayodhya, the epicentre of the Ram temple movement, are witnessing vote on Sunday.

The ministers who include Siddharth Nath Singh from Allahabad West, Rajendra Singh from Patti (Pratapgarh), Nand Gopal Gupta Nadi from Allahabad South and Ramapati Shastri from Mankapur (Gonda).

Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya, who is the MLA from Kunda since 1993, is once again in the fray as the Jansatta Dal candidate, with old aide Gulshan Yadav contesting against him on the Samajwadi Party ticket.

Union minister Anupriya Patel's mother and Apna Dal (K) leader Krishna Patel is contesting from the Pratapgarh seat. The Apna Dal (K) has entered into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

Union minister Patel, heading a rival faction of the party named after her father Sonelal Patel, however, has handed over the seat to the BJP to challenge her mother Krishna Patel.

Congress Legislative Party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona is fighting from Rampur Khas of Pratapgarh. She told ANI, "Biggest power in a democracy is your vote. Vote for the country & your own future."

With the completion of polling on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh will have voted on 292 of the total 403 seats in the Assembly. The last two phases of the elections will be held on March 3 and 7, while the counting of votes and results will be declared on March 10. 

(With Agency Inputs)