Goa sees 77.9% voting till 5 pm, U'khand 59%, UP 61%

New Delhi: The final voting percentage for the second phase of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh on Monday was 61.06 per cent, while Uttarakhand and Goa, which had single-phase polling, recorded 59.51 per cent and 77.94 per cent, respectively.

As per the Election Commission data, North Goa registered 79.45 per cent while South Goa registered 76.92 per cent.

In Uttar Pradesh, where 55 seats across nine districts saw polling, the highest voting was in Saharanpur, at 67.52 per cent, and the lowest in Shahjahanpur at 55.20 per cent.

Amroha district registered 66.15 per cent, Bareilly 58.82 per cent, Bijnor 62.11 per cent, Badaun 56.83 per cent, Moradabad 64.56 per cent, Rampur 62.31 per cent, and Sambhal 56.88 per cent.

In Uttarakhand, the highest was in Haridwar 68.37 per cent and the lowest in Almora district at 50.65 per cent.

Bageshwar saw 57.83 per cent, Chamoli 59.28 per cent, Champawat 56.97 per cent, Dehradun 52.93 per cent, Nainital 63.12 per cent, Pauri Garhwal 51.93 per cent, Pithoragarh 57.49 per cent, Rudraprayag 60.36 per cent, Tehri Garhwal 52.66 per cent, Udham Singh Nagar 65.13 per cent and Uttarkashi district 65.55 per cent.

Uttarakhand is holding single phase polling for all its 70 Assembly seats, with a total of 82,66,644 voters deciding the fate of 632 candidates.

In Goa, as many as 11,56,464 voters decided the fate of 301 candidates for its 40 seats.

In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 2.02 crore voters will decide the fate of 586 contestants in 55 Assembly constituencies across the nine districts are: Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Badaun, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur.In the day, Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya inspected the model polling booths in Nehru Colony and Hathi Barkala in Dehradun to see if Covid protocols were being followed by voters and officials.

On faulty EVMs at certain polling stations, she had said they were immediately replaced. Haridwar district saw the highest voter turnout at 67.58 per cent followed by Uttarkashi with 65.55 per cent, Udham Singh Nagar 65.13, Nainital 63.12, Rudraprayag 60.36 per cent, Chamoli 59 per cent, Bageshwar 57.83 per cent, Champawat 56.97 per cent, Dehradun 52.93 per cent, Tehri 52.66 per cent, Pauri Garhwal 51.93 per cent, Almora 50.65 per cent and Pithoragarh 57.19 per cent, officials said giving data till 5 pm.

Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, former chief ministers Trivendra Singh Rawat and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, AAP's chief ministerial candidate Col (retd) Ajay Kothiyal, State Congress president Ganesh Godiyal, Leader of Opposition in the fourth assembly Pritam Singh, Yoga guru Ramdev, and Niranjani Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Kailashanand Brahmachari were among the first to cast their votes. Dhami cast his vote in Khatima, Trivendra and Nishank in Dehradun, Kothiyal in Uttarkashi and Ramdev at a polling booth in Kankhal in Haridwar. Talking to reporters after casting his vote, Ramdev appealed to people to come out in large numbers to exercise their right to franchise. He also asked them to rise above caste, creed and religious considerations to vote for a strong nation and its interests. On the ongoing hijab controversy, Ramdev said Asaduddin Owaisi was living in the 18th century. "These are minor things when compared to national interest which is paramount. People should reject political, intellectual and religious terrorism and vote for the country," he said.

Woman comes in ambulance to caste vote

Saharanpur: A 70-year-old woman undergoing treatment in a hospital here, came to a polling booth in an ambulance to cast her vote during 2nd phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

Naresh Chauhan was taken to the polling booth on a stretcher, and she exercised her voting right. BJP corporator Puneet Chauhan told PTI that his mother is seriously ill but she has "expressed her wish to cast vote". "As per her desire, an ambulance was arranged, so that she could be taken to the polling centre at the Satyug Ashram Inter College. She was then taken on a stretcher by four persons and she exercised her voting right," Chauhan said.

After casting her vote, she was taken back to the hospital, where she is undergoing treatment, the Saharanpur Municipal Corporation corporator said. The BJP leader said that he did not want his mother to cast her vote in this condition, but since she expressed her desire to vote and it was honoured.