First phase of voting in 8 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh concludes peacefully and safely
By Our Correspondent
Lucknow: Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa said that voting in the first phase across 8 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state concluded peacefully on Friday. The voting commenced at 7:00 am and concluded at 6:00 pm.
Rinwa further stated that as of 5:00 pm, the voter turnout across the 8 Lok Sabha constituencies stood at 57.54%. The voter turnout percentages for individual constituencies were as follows: Saharanpur at 63.29%, Kairana at 58.68%, Muzaffarnagar at 54.91%, Bijnor at 54.68%, Nagina (SC) at 58.05%, Moradabad at 57.65%, Rampur at 52.42%, and Pilibhit at 60.23%.
During a press conference, the Chief Electoral Officer highlighted measures undertaken to ensure the integrity and fairness of the voting process. Arrangements for webcasting were made at a total of 7,582 polling stations for effective supervision. This supervision was carried out at all three levels by the District Election Officer, the Chief Electoral Officer, and the Election Commission of India.
In addition, videography was arranged at 1510 polling stations. Postal ballot was cast by 14264 voters in the categories eligible for the first phase of postal ballot voting (voters above 85 years of age, disabled, essential services, and polling personnel), he added.
The Chief Electoral Officer also stated, “For voters above 85 years of age and those with disabilities who chose to vote by postal ballot, the polling team conducted voting at their residences. To ensure a transparent and fair process, a micro observer and videographer accompanied the polling team. The polling team’s schedule was shared with candidates, allowing them or their representatives to monitor the entire procedure. A list of eligible voters from this category was also provided to the candidates. The entire voting process was captured on video.”
Apart from this, postal ballots were also sent through electronic mode (ETPBS) by the Returning Officer to a total of 27938 service voters. EDC has been issued to 7943 personnel. To oversee the voting process diligently, the Commission deployed 8 general observers, 5 police observers, and 10 expenditure observers.
Furthermore, 1,272 Sector Magistrates, 150 Zonal Magistrates, 103 Static Magistrates, and 1,861 Micro Observers were also assigned to various roles. At the state level, the Election Commission of India deployed one Senior General Observer, one Senior Police Observer, and one Senior Expenditure Observer, who oversaw the entire election process by being present in the area.
On April 19, 2024, several political parties sent complaints via email, which were promptly addressed by district officials. The political parties were subsequently informed of the resolutions via email. To ensure peaceful elections, sufficient paramilitary forces were deployed. The security of the EVM strong room has been entrusted to these paramilitary forces.
EVMs and VVPATs required for voting were provided for all 14,845 polling stations, with additional reserve EVMs and VVPATs allocated across different districts. Immediate and effective action was taken wherever complaints arose during voting, including the replacement of EVMs and VVPATs.
According to reports from the districts, a total of 85 BUs, 184 CUs and 259 VVPATs were replaced during the mock poll and from the commencement of voting until 5:00 pm, a further 50 BUs, 50 CUs, and 152 VVPATs were replaced. The elections were conducted in a completely peaceful manner, with no reports of any untoward incidents received from any location.
