61.61 pc turnout in Phase 3 polling in UP

TIL Desk/National/Lucknow/New Delhi/ Over 61.16 per cent of the electorate today exercised their franchise in the third phase of polling to decide the fate of 826 candidates in Uttar Pradesh’s 69 Assembly constituencies considered crucial for the ruling Samajwadi Party.

The turnout, which is higher by more than 1 per cent as compared to last Assembly polls, is expected to go up and touch 63 per cent as many voters were still in queues outside polling booths when the percentage was collated at 5 pm. “The turnout of voters was 61.16 per cent when polling drew to a close at 5 PM,” UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said in Lucknow.

About 2.41 crore people, including 1.10 crore women and 1,026 people belonging to the ‘third gender’ category, were eligible to vote in this phase. He said the polling was by and large peaceful in this phase for which tight security arrangements were put in place at all the 25,603 polling booths.

“At 5 pm, voting percentage was recorded as 61.16 per cent. There were huge queues outside some of the polling booths. We expect voting to reach or cross 63 per cent,” Deputy Election Commissioner Vijay Dev told.