New Delhi – The first day of mammoth elections in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, concluded peacefully Saturday with about 63 per cent of the 26 million eligible voters casting their ballots, the Election Commission said.
In the first round of a seven-stage voting process, the commission said the turnout in the 73 constituencies of the state legislative assembly, located in western Uttar Pradesh, was provisional and could go up after a final count. The legislature has 404 seats.
It is the highest turnout recorded in the primarily rural state in elections so far. Saturday’s balloting was held in 15 districts, including areas bordering Delhi and the city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.
There were no reports of major violence, according to an official at the Election Commission control room. The brother of a candidate was arrested for carrying a pistol inside a polling booth, NDTV news channel reported.
The state is known for political violence and clashes between religious and caste-based communities.
A file photo of supporters greeting India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and India’s prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. (Credit Image: © Partha Sarkar/Xinhua/ZUMAPRESS.com)
With a population of over 200 million people, Uttar Pradesh is a political heavyweight and both Prime Minister Navendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, vice president of the opposition Indian National Congress, have been elected to parliament from constituencies in the state.
Though regional and local issues dominate, these elections are seen as crucial for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A win could signal approval of its policies and signal a second term, with general elections scheduled in 2019.
These are the first elections in India after Modi announced the sudden withdrawal of high-value currency notes on November 8 as part of a campaign against corruption.
In Utter Pradesh’ 2012 assembly elections, Modi’s party came a distant third to the Samajwadi party, which formed the state government, and the incumbent Bahujan Samaj Party led by Dalit leader and four times chief minister Mayawati.
But in the 2014 elections that swept Modi to power, the BJP won 73 of the state’s 80 parliamentary seats and the party is hoping to repeat its performance.
The regional Samajwadi party has banded together with the Indian National Congress in efforts to defeat the BJP.
Elections are also being held in Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand states along with Uttar Pradesh between February 4 and March 8. Results for all the states are to be announced on March 11.
-dpa
