UP Assembly polls: First phase concludes, nearly 60 pc voter turnout recorded

Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 10 (ANI): As the first phase of the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly concluded on Thursday, the voter turnout for the Jat-dominant belt of western Uttar Pradesh was recorded to be nearly 60 per cent.
As per the Election Commission of India's Voter Turnout application, the total voter turnout for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections was 59.87 per cent at the end of the session.
The districts which recorded the highest voter turnout were Shamli with 66.14 per cent, followed by Muzaffarnagar and Mathura at 65.32 per cent 62.90 per cent respectively.
Gautam Buddha Nagar reported only 54.38 per cent voter turnout till 7:55 pm.
Other than Gautam Buddha Nagar, the districts with the lowest reported voter turnout are Ghaziabad, Meerut, Agra with 52.43 per cent, 60 per cent and 60.23 per cent respectively.
Voting for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections began today at 7 am.
This phase of polls covered 58 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts of the state.
The voting, which concluded at 6 pm, will decide the electoral fate of 623 candidates.
In the Noida Assembly seat, Samajwadi Party's Sunil Chaudhary contested against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's son Pankaj Singh. Congress leader Pankhuri Pathak and BSP leader Kriparam Sharma were also in the fray from the same seat.
The police had sealed the borders of the state and strict vigilance is underway to maintain peace in 58 constituencies where elections are underway.
The second phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled for February 14. 586 candidates are in the fray for 55 Assembly Constituencies in the second phase, including nine reserved for the Scheduled Castes. The reserved seats include that of Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha (JP Nagar), Moradabad, Bareilly, Rampur, Sambhal (Bhim Nagar), Budaun and Shahjahanpur district.
Post the completion of the seven phased elections, the counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)