Amidst reports of faulty functioning of EVMs and ruckus created by the voters, the first phase of Uttar Pradesh’s municipal corporation polls ended on Wednesday. Twenty-four districts went to polls today with people turning up in large numbers to vote.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had cast his vote in Gorakhpur in the morning and urged people to cast their votes.
Police had to resort to lathi-charge in Kanpur, Unnao, Hardoi, Jalaun, Chitrakoot and Hamirpur districts after voters resorted to stone pelting.
In Meerut, BSP candidate Sunita Verma complained of anomalous functioning of the EVM and created a ruckus at the polling booth, leading to a tense situation. However, timely intervention by the district administration ensured that there was no unprecedented incidents. Verma had alleged that when she she pressed the button to cast her vote for BSP, the light blinked on ‘lotus’, which is the poll symbol of the BJP. Those present on the occasion made a video clipping and put it on various social media platforms.
Complaints of EVMs not functioning well were also reported from Machariya ward of Kanpur where polling was suspended for an hour. Here too, the police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the agitating crowed.
In Gazipur, a clash broke out between the supporters of two political parties after bogus voting was reported. Six people were taken into custody. A similar incident was reported from Badaun where two were held for bogus voting.
In Sirathu, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s brother clashed with a senior cop. The police alleged he was trying to enter the polling station to influence voting. In mafia don-turned- politician Mukhtar Ansar’s district, some burka clad women were caught for trying to cast fake votes.
In the first phase, 26,314 candidates contested and over one crore voters have cast their votes.
