UP, Bihar Bypolls: Araria Records 57% Voting; Gorakhpur at Low 47%
Arch rivals BSP and SP came together for the first time in 25 years to tackle the BJP.
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Over 40 Lakh Voters Set to Partake in Voting
According to the Election Commission, there are 19.61 lakh voters in Phulpur parliamentary constituency, while there are 19.49 lakh voters in Gorakhpur.
In Gorakhpur, 970 polling centres and 2,141 polling booths will be set up, while 793 polling centres and 2,059 polling booths will be put up in Phulpur, reported PTI.
In the bypolls, as many as 4,728 VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines will be used. According to PTI, security has been tightened and around 6,500 central armed para-military forces have been deployed, apart from Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and homeguards to ensure no untoward incidents.
Gorakhpur, Yogi's Bastion, Crucial for 2019 Lok Sabha Election
For the BJP, Gorakhpur is significant as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who has represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Yogi Adityanath, the seat was thrice represented in Parliament by his mentor Mahant Avaidyanath. CM Adityanath has termed the by-election a “rehearsal” for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.
Phulpur, once the bastion of the Congress and represented by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when Keshav Prasad Maurya won the seat.
Maurya is now the deputy chief minister of the state.
On the other hand, the outcome will be crucial, as success for the SP-BSP experiment could pave the way for the two major players in the state to tie up in the 2019 elections to counter the BJP, which had trounced them in the last general and Assembly elections.
Congress Blames SP for Ruining Joint Front Against BJP
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Friday, 9 March, accused Sawajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for bungling a joint Opposition front against the ruling BJP in the upcoming bypolls in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, reported IANS.
Party Contenders in the Fray
There are 10 candidates in the fray from Gorakhpur, while 22 candidates will contest for the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.
Upendra Shukla from the BJP, Praveen Nishad from Samajwadi Party (SP), and Surhita Chatterjee Karim from the Congress are the main contenders for the Gorakhpur seat. Kaushalendra Singh Patel from the BJP, Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel from SP, Manish Mishra from the Congress are contesting for Phulpur.
Voting Begins: 7 Percent Recorded in Gorakhpur, 4.5 Percent in Phulpur
Voting begins in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. Gorakhpur recorded 7 percent voter turnout, while Phulpur recorded 4.5 percent at 9 am.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath Casts Vote in Gorakhpur
UP CM Yogi Adityanath cast his vote at Gorakhpur, and flashed a victory sign after exiting the polling booth, Hindustan Times reported.
Speaking to NDTV, Yogi says he is confident of a "victory margin as big as 2014" in the Phulpur and Gorakhpur bypolls.
Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla Casts Vote in Gorakhpur
Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla cast his vote in Gorakhpur shortly after UP CM Yogi Adityanath cast his vote.
Confident of a BJP Win: Keshav Prasad Maurya
UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said that he was confident the BJP would sweep the Lok Sabha bypolls in the state, taking after the 2014 elections.
Gorakhpur Records 16.8 Percent Voting, Phulpur Records 12.2 Percent, till 11 am
16.8 percent voter turnout was recorded in Gorakhpur, and 12.2 percent in Phulpur, till 11 am.
Voting Underway in Bihar Bypolls
About 12 percent electorate cast their votes till 10 am in the bypolls for one Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats in Bihar, which went to polls on 11 March. The ruling JD(U)-BJP combine and the opposition RJD-Congress alliance are locked in a battle in the constituencies.
The by-elections are being held for Araria Lok Sabha seat, Jahanabad and Bhabhua Assembly constituencies.
According to election commission sources, the polling is so far peaceful.
In Araria parliamentary constituency, seven candidates are in the fray. Former BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh is seeking to regain the seat from the RJD which has fielded Sarfaraz Alam, the death of whose father Mohd Taslimuddin has necessitated the bypoll.
In Jehanabad, the RJD hopes to retain the Assembly seat that fell vacant after the death of Mundrika Yadav. The party has given ticket to Yadav's son Kumar Krishna Mohan.
A total of 14 candidates are in the fray though the contest is mainly between the RJD nominee and JD(U)'s Abhiram Sharma who had won the seat in the 2010 Assembly polls.
Bihar Voter Turnout at Noon
31.25 percent voter turnout was recorded in the Araria Lok Sabha bypolls till noon. At the same time, 24.5 percent voter turnout was recorded in Bhabua, and 28.6 percent voter turnout was recorded in Jehanabad assembly seat polls.
Overall voter percentage in Bihar was reported to be 12% by PTI.
UP Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh Casts Vote, Voting Picks Up
Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh cast his vote in the polling booths at Phulpur. Voting which began at 9 am, will conclude at 5 pm.
Voting also picked up momentum by noon amid tight security arrangements to ensure free and fair polling.
Election office sources said nearly 20 percent of the electorate cast their ballots by mid-day and the exercise was going on peacefully.
Voting Picks Up in Bihar & Uttar Pradesh
Voter turnout was recorded to be 30.2 percent in Gorakhpur at 1 pm. Phulpur recorded 26.6 percent at 3 pm, according to ANI.
In Bihar’s Araria 37.8 percent voter turnout was reported at 1 pm. The Bhabua and Jahanabad constituencies recorded 24.5 percent and 28.6 percent respectively at 1 pm.
Technical Issues Hold up Voting in Areas
Technical snags reported in electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been reported in a few areas. Polling in Allahabad’s Kidwai college was held up for a while because of technical issues.
FIR Against Bihar BJP Chief for Violating Model Code of Conduct
An FIR was lodged against Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai for violating the model code of conduct by allegedly making provocative speech during campaigning for Araria Lok Sabha bypolls, an official said to PTI.
Narpatganj Assembly constituency's nodal officer-cum- Circle Officer Nishant Kumar lodged the FIR on Saturday, 10 March.
"I have asked Narpatganj Assembly constituency's nodal officer-cum-Circle Officer to lodge an FIR against Bihar BJP Nityanand Rai chief Nityanand Rai for violating model code of conduct," Araria District Magistrate Himanshu Sharma told PTI.
While campaigning for his party's candidate at a public meeting at Narpatganj on 9 March, Rao allegedly said, if the RJD candidate wins this election, Araria will become a safe haven for ISIS.
40 Percent Voting Recorded in Gorakhpur till 4 pm
Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a polling percentage of around 40 percent while Phulpur saw a turnout of 29 percent till 4 pm, Election Commission sources said.
The voting for the bye-elections to the two Lok Sabha seats began on a dull note but picked up momentum in the day amid tight security, they added.
The voting in Araria, was last reported to be at 31.25 percent, with Bhabhua and Jehanabad assembly by-polls recording 24.5 percent and 28.6 percent respectively, till noon.
38 Percent Voting Recorded Till 5 pm in Phulpur
38 percent voter turnout was recorded in Phulpur till 5 pm. Gorakhpur saw 40 percent voter turnout till 4 pm, PTI reported.
Araria Does Best at 57 Percent Voter Turnout, Gorakhpur at 47 Percent
Voter turnout In Bihar’s Araria Lok Sabha constituency was recorded to be 57 percent as the voting closed, while the two Assembly seats in Jehanabad and Bhabua saw 50.06 percent and 54.03 percent voting, according to PTI.
In the Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, voter turnout stood at 47 percent at the time of closing. In Phulpur, only 38 percent of the electorate came out to vote, according to PTI.
Voting concluded for bye-elections to the Lok Sabha seats of Phulpur and Gorakhpur, a stronghold of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The voter turn out up till 5 pm was recorded at 47% in Gorakhpur and 38% in Phulpur. The elections see a triangular contest between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-backed Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress which chose to fight the elections on its own.
In Bihar, voting took place for one Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats, where the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine and the opposition RJD-Congress alliance are locked in battle.
The polls in Bihar were held for the Araria Lok Sabha seat, and the Jahanabad and Bhabhua Assembly constituencies, where Araria recorded 57 percent voter turnout while Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies recorded 54.03 percent and 50.06 percent voter turnouts.
- By-elections to the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh were held on Sunday, 11 March
- The seats went empty after Yogi Adityanath (Gorakhpur) and Keshav Prasad Maurya (Phulpur) took over as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively
- Voting for one Lok Sabha seat and two Assembly seats in Bihar, for Araria, Jahanabad and Bhabhua also took place
- Votes will be counted on 14 March
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