98% turn out for UP Legislative Council poll

Lucknow, April 9

An average voter turnout of over 98 per cent was recorded in the biennial Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections on Saturday, officials said. The voting for 27 seats under local authorities’ constituencies began at 8 am and ended at 4 pm. According to the Election Commission, the average polling percentage recorded till 4 pm was 98.11 with Rae Bareli registering the highest voter turnout at 99.35 per cent and Gorakhpur the lowest at 96.50 per cent.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was among those who turned up early to exercise franchise, told the media in Gorakhpur, “In the recent Assembly elections, the BJP (like in 2017) won more than two-thirds seats and formed a strong government. After four decades, a situation has come when a ruling party (BJP) will be able to bag a huge mandate in the Legislative Council too”.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav could not cast his vote in Mainpuri as two MLCs from the Mathura-Etah-Mainpuri local authorities’ constituency were elected unopposed. SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) president Shivpal Singh Yadav cast their vote at the Saifai polling centre in Etawah. —