UP Assembly Election 2022: Noida DM Suhas LY urges citizens to come out to vote today

New Delhi: Voting for the first phase of Uttar Pradesh elections on 58 assembly seats covering 11 districts of the state, including Gautam Budh Nagar, began today (February 10) at 7 am. 

Minutes after the polling commenced, the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Suhas L Yathiraj urged the citizens to come out to vote. 

“I urge citizens to come out to vote today. Model polling booths established, & paramilitary forces deployed & videography being done at all polling booths. All COVID19 protocols being followed at polling booths,” said Suhas LY, DM, Gautam Budh Nagar. 

Earlier, on Wednesday, with only a few hours to go for assembly polls, the Noida Police busted an inter-state drug racket as it seized over five quintals of cannabis and arrested four persons, according to officials.

The seized cannabis is estimated to be worth over Rs 1 crore in the international market, they said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Ranvijay Singh said a canter truck was intercepted by the police in the 12/22 crossroad under the Sector 24 police station area amid heightened checking in view of the polls under supervision of ACP (Noida 2) Rajneesh Verma.

“When checked, some domestic items were found inside the truck but some packets were also spotted lying underneath them. When further looked into, these packets were found containing cannabis in huge quantity and immediately the four people on-board the truck were taken into custody,” Singh said.

He said the accused told the police that they worked for a drug-trafficking gang in the national capital region that sourced cannabis from Andhra Pradesh.

“The gang has two kingpins who live in Loni area of adjoining Ghaziabad district and police teams have launched search operations for them also,” the officer said.

The truck registered in Gautam Buddh Nagar has been impounded and an FIR lodged in the case, the police said.

The held accused have been identified as Jitendra Singar, Sushil Yadav, Ravi Singh and Rakesh Pathak, the police said, adding names of some people linked in the drug syndicate have cropped up during questioning and efforts are being made to nab them also. 

Meanwhile, the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in seven phases on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3, and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

As many as 623 candidates are in the fray in the first phase and around 2.27 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase.

(With PTI inputs)