UP Assembly Election 2012: 57pc turnout in forth phase

As much as 57 percent polling were recorded in the forth phase of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Assembly Election 2012 held on February 19, 2012 amid tight security. The polling went on peace fully, informed the UP election official.

The State Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha informed to media that polling concluded at 5 p.m. on all polling booths and no news of violence has came so far. He was happy over brisk polling in the parts of Awadh and bundelkhand region.

Till 5 p.m. 57% turn out was recorded in the at 18608 polling booths at 12821 centres, Sinha said by adding that the campaign for voting exercise has worked this time because the turn out percentage improved much as against 47% in the region.

To motivate the youth for exercising their vote, the EC has been campaigning since last few days.

Lucknow, which recorded mere 36% turn out last year has recorded 55% turn out this year, 'a jump of 19% is quite impressive', added Umesh.

The turn out from Nehru-Gandhi bastion has also been recorded impressively by 59% turn out.

Earlier, in the morning the polling was quite slow due to chilly morning and cloudy day but as the day shines, the turn out increased sharply. Long queue were recorded in many poll booths in afternoon and evening, media reports say.

EC has set up 18608 polling booths at 12821 centres in 11 districts - Lucknow, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli , Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar (Amethi), Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Banda, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh - in which 3393 of polling booths were identified as sensitive and 3623 as hyper-sensitive, EC official informed.

The heavyweights whose fate were sealed today in the forth phase of polling include Salman Khursheed's wife Louise Khursheed, who was contesting from Farrukhbad constituency, UP Congress Committee Chairperson Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Lucknow Cantonment seat, Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Vice President Kalraj Mishra from Lucknow East seat, and Congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tiwari from Rampur Khas seat in Pratapgarh district.