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46 per cent turnout in fourth phase of polls

No untoward incident reported; fate of 922 candidates sealed

Lucknow: Just over 46 per cent of 1.55 crore voters on Monday exercised their franchise in the polling for the fourth phase of Assembly elections in 57 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh.

There was no report of any untoward incident during the polling anywhere, Chief Electoral Officer A. K. Bishnoi told reporters here.

Two arrested

He said two persons, including a 15-year-old boy, were arrested in Basti and Sant Kabirnagar districts for using a bogus ration card and carrying arms while going to cast votes.

Complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs were reported from some places but they were rectified immediately, he said.

Asked about the low turnout, Mr. Bishnoi said there are about 12 lakh temporarily missing voters which included migrant labourers and other such people of whom barely one to two per cent exercised their franchise.

After a low voters' turnout in the first two phases--46 to 47 pe rcent, the figure had soared in the third phase touching a little more than 50 per cent.

Monday's polling in ten districts would decide the fate of 922 candidates including the State Labour Minister Waqar Ahmad Shah, PWD minister Arvind Singh Gope, Congress leader Jagdambika Pal, Samajwadi Kranti Dal's Reshma Arif among others.

Election office sources said 15,233 polling stations and 9200 polling centres had been set up for the electorate and 17,500 EVMs were used in the polling.

As many as 6570 companies of Central paramilitary force had been deployed in the fourth phase ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.

The district which went to polls included Barabanki, Bahraich, Sitapur, Basti, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Shravasti, Balrampur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sant Kabir Nagar. PTI

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46 per cent turnout in fourth phase of polls

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