First Round of UP Polling Sees 47.44% Turnout, Minor Boycotts Reported

Lucknow/Pilibhit: In the first eight hours of polling on Friday, voter turnout averaged 47.44 percent across eight western Uttar Pradesh constituencies, where voting commenced at 7 a.m. These constituencies are part of the first round of the Lok Sabha election.

According to the Election Commission (EC), Saharanpur recorded a turnout of 53.31 percent until 3 p.m., Moradabad saw 46.28 percent, Kairana registered 48.92 percent, Nagina recorded 48.15 percent, Pilibhit witnessed 49.06 percent, Bijnor saw 47.70 percent, Rampur recorded 42.77 percent, and Muzaffarnagar had 45.18 percent turnout. These seats are situated in the Jat and sugarcane belts of the state. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh’s overall voter turnout after seven stages was 59.11 percent.

Election authorities have reported that the polling process is progressing smoothly without any significant issues or law-and-order disturbances. However, some residents of Pilibhit district have proposed a boycott of the ballot in protest against the lack of municipal services. Residents of Purana hamlet, within the jurisdiction of Barkheda Police Station, have declared their intention not to vote due to the absence of a bridge in the area.

In Dahgala, Bakshpur, and neighboring villages, polling was boycotted due to alleged blockage of the route connecting to the villages through the officers’ colony. Furthermore, some residents in the Neuria region of the district have expressed their decision not to vote due to concerns regarding man-animal conflict. They have cited instances of tigers from the neighboring Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) venturing out of the jungle and attacking civilians, with little action taken by the administration to address such incidents.

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