61.16 percent voter turnout recorded, expect to cross 63 percent: ECI on third-phase UP polls

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Feb. 19 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday said a total of 61.16 percent voter turnout was recorded as voting ended in the third phase of the ongoing assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. It added that it is expected to cross 63 percent. "A peaceful polling took place in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections. For this, we would like to congratulate all voters of this very significant region," the ECI said. The Election Commission also said that there were strict security arrangements. The total number of polling stations was 25,607 which were housed in 16,671 locations. The total number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used were 28,167. The Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were also used in two districts - Lucknow and Kanpur - in five assembly constituencies. Due to technical reasons, 167 EVMs and 46 VVPATs had to be replaced. With over 826 candidates from 105 political parties contesting for 69 seats, polling began on Sunday morning for the crucial third phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections. The districts that went to polling in this phase are Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Lucknow, Unnao, Sitapur and Barabanki. (ANI)