Journalism of Courage
The seventh and final phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh is taking place on Wednesday. Polling has begun in 40 constituencies including PM Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. The last week saw a series of rallies and campaigning by leaders from all parties, especially in Varanasi. Prime Minister Modi spent three days in his constituency taking out two road shows and addressing two major rallies.
Polling will be held till 5 pm in all constituencies, except the Naxal-hit Duddhi, Robertsganj and Chakia seats, where polling will end at 4 pm.
Prominent candidates who are in fray include former Cabinet minister Om Prakash, Parasnath Yadav, Ajay Rai, former MP Dhananjay Singh, Sigbatullah Ansari, brother of Mukhtar Ansari, and Seema Singh wife of jailed mafia Munna Bajrangi.
The elections are being held in seven phases in Uttar Pradesh and so far six phases have been concluded peacefully. The results will be declared on March 11 along with that of Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab. Voter turnout on these seats was 57.92 per cent in 2012 Assembly polls.
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6:27 pm: 60.03 per cent turnout in last phase
5:30 pm: Voting for seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh elections ends.
2:30 pm: In Jaunpur, BJP candidate from Jafarabad seat Harendra Pratap Singh and four others were arrested by the police for allegedly carrying voters to polling booths in two vehicles. Singh has however denied the charge.
2:23 pm: Over 41 per cent votes were polled till 2 pm in the seventh and last phase of Uttar Pradesh elections.
1:34 pm: Nearly 38 per cent turnout recorded in the final phase of Uttar Pradesh elections, NDTV reported.
12:27 pm: Over 26 per cent votes have been polled till 12 noon for the seventh and last phase of Uttar Pradesh elections.
12:17 pm:
12:06 pm: As voting got underway in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters to come out and vote in large numbers.
“Today is the last phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh. I request you to mandatorily cast your valuable vote. ‘Pehle Matdaan, fir Jalpaan’ (First vote, then food),” the Prime Minister tweeted.
11:50 am: Over 22.84 per cent voting till 11 am in the seventh and last phase of Uttar Pradesh elections.
10:37 am:
10:30 am: Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi casts his vote at booth number 76 of Varanasi North.
10:15 am: A 65-year-old woman died at polling booth number 357 in Mughalsarai constituency of Chandauli, reports ANI. The reason for death is not yet confirmed.
10: 00 am: 10.43 per cent voting has been recorded till 9 am, according to news agency ANI.
9:45 am:
9:30 am: Voting underway in all 40 constituencies. An encounter look place on the outskirts of Lucknow on the eve of voting. Uttar Pradesh ATS neutralized a terrorist linked with ISIS who was allegedly involved in Ujjain train blast.
8:55 am
8:35 am: Tight security arrangements have been made in all the districts where polling is taking place today. So far, the six phases of polling have taken place without any disruptions or incidents of violence.
8:22 am: Voting was delayed in two booths located in Chandauli, Sakaldiha Assembly constituency due to technical glitch in the EVMs. It has now started.
8:15 am: The voting will go on until 5 pm except in Naxal-hit Duddhi, Robertsganj and Chakia seats where it will end at 4 pm. Click here to read more
8:10 am:
8:00 am: Final phase of polling is also going on in Manipur. The Assembly elections took place in five different states namely Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and UP. The results for all the states will be declared on March 11.
7:45 am: There has been a technical problem in one of the polling booths in Mirzapur because of which voting has not yet begun there. – ANI
7:30 am: People are lining up outside polling booths in all 40 constituencies. In Mohammadabad, where Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Sibakatullah is contesting on BSP ticket, men and women are coming out to exercise their franchise.
7:25 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in the morning urging people to give priority to voting.
7:20 am:
7:00 am: Voting begins in 40 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh for seventh and final phase of Assembly polls.
A total of 1.41 crore voters, including 64.76 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 14,458 polling booths and 8,682 polling centres to decide fate of 585 candidates, including 51 women.
