Lucknow, April 26 (UNI) Approximately 11.67 per cent of over 1.67 crore voters in Uttar Pradesh cast their votes in the first two hours of polling on Friday registering lowest turnout in Mathura, where legendary Bollywood actress Hema Malini is seeking reelection.
In the second phase of Lok Sabha elections that will decide the fate of 91 candidates from the state, poll officials said maximum votes were polled in Amroha (14.32 per cent), while Mathura from where sitting MLA Hema Malini is contesting for a third term, witnessed only 10.09 per cent polling till 9 am.
There was 12.2 per cent votes polled in Aligarh, 11 per cent in Baghpat, 11.99 per cent in Bulandshahr, 11.57 per cent in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 10.67 per cent in Ghaziabad and 12.28 per cent in Meerut.
UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said polling began at 7 am across nine districts under tight security and will continue till 6 pm.
"Eight constituencies where polling is being held are Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulnadshahr, Aligarh and Mathura. While seven seats are of general category, Bulandshahr has been reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC)," he said.
He said that these eight constituencies are spread over nine districts, including Amroha, Hapur, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura.
Amid reports of glitches in EVM machines, the poll officers said that the polling continues peacefully and no untoward incident have been reported so far. There were also reports of boycotts by the local residents at a few places, but it was claimed that the issue has been sorted.
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