Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

U.P. civic elections turn violent

Special Correspondent

Many complaints of booth capturing and fake polling

PHOTO: SUBIR ROY

ANGER: People blocking the Kanpur Road after reports of fake polling during the civic polls in Lucknow on Tuesday.

LUCKNOW: The second round of civic polls in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday was marked by clashes between rival supporters of parties and arson, along with allegations of large-scale booth capturing and fake polling.

The voters' turnout in the second phase, which included mayoral elections in 11 municipal corporations, was around 60 per cent. Elections were also held in 24 Nagar Palika Parishads and 9 Nagar Panchayats.

Additional Election Commissioner Vinay Priya Dubey told newspersons that 32 complaints of booth capturing and 37 complaints of fake polling were received by the State Election Commission (SEC) after polling began on Tuesday. Mr. Dubey said repoll had been ordered in three polling booths in Lucknow, two booths in Moradabad and six booths in Agra, where repolling would be held on November 3.

Lathicharge

Large-scale violence occurred in Meerut following clashes between supporters of two candidates. Police resorted to lathicharge and used tear gas shells to disperse the mob, which pelted stones at the police.

Home Secretary Arun Sinha said violence broke out on Tuesday evening at the Capital School polling booth as rumours of fake polling and booth capturing were spread. Mr. Sinha said around 16 persons, including six policemen and four media personnel, were injured.

In Varanasi, rival groups of supporters exchanged fire and hurled crude bombs over allegations of booth capturing by the Samajwadi Party workers.

Mr. Sinha said supporters of a candidate, angry at the mild force used by home guard personnel to maintain order, torched a police motorbike and two private vehicles near the City Montessori School polling booth in Rawatpur in Kanpur Nagar. The cause of provocation here was mild force used by some Home Guards personnel to maintain order at the polling centre.

Violence also broke out in Sewla Jat and Nagla Parsauli areas in Agra town over charges of booth capturing against SP workers by Congress supporters.

A Tata Sumo and a bus were damaged by the angry mob, which the police dispersed. Similar incidents happened in Jhansi.

Roadblock

In Lucknow, supporters of Opposition candidates blocked the busy Lucknow-Kanpur highway in protest against poll irregularities in ward number 15 of Sarojininagar. Clashes between rival supporters and the police occurred in Ambarganj in Old Lucknow.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

U.P. civic elections turn violent

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu