After a slow start due to rain, polling for the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections picked up rapidly with almost 42 per cent of the over 1.70 crore electorate exercising their franchise till late afternoon.
As the weather cleared up, people started coming out in large number to exercise their franchise. "By 3 pm, 41.96 per cent polling was registered in 55 assembly seats spread over 10 districts," Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha told agencies.
He said the last few hours of polling were crucial and with weather improving, people were coming out in large number to cast their vote.
"The biggest problem was that of rain, but now good response from the electorate is coming. Turnout should be good," Sinha said.
Amdist complaints of EVM malfunctioning, 31 per cent polling was recorded in Bahraich district. Sitapur, where people boycotted polling in Gularia village in Misrikh assembly seat to protest lack of development, registered 46.88 per cent polling by 3 PM.
Similarly in Gonda, which recorded 42 per cent polling till 3 pm, nearly 800 voters boycotted poll process at booth number 34 in Mehnaun assembly seat to protest shifting of polling station three kilometres away from the village.
Polling also picked up in in Faizabad where 50 per cent electorate exercised their franchise till 3 PM as compared to 30 per cent in the first four hours.
Maximum 50 per cent polling till 3 pm was recorded in Ayodhya, where a long queue of voters was witnessed at polling stations.
Lowest poll percentage 35.38 per cent was recorded in Balrampur district followed by 40.5 per cent in Siddharth Nagar district. Initially, heavy rain in most of the assembly seats for which polling is being held played, spoilsport.
In Basni Assembly seat in Siddharth Nagar, not a single vote was cast in the first two hours of polling due to heavy rains, officials said. Polling is being held in 10 districts -- Sitapur, Barabanki, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharth Nagar and Basti amidst tight security arrangements.
More than 1.70 crore electorate- 952.87 lakh men and 70.44 lakh women - are expected to seal the fate of 862 candidates.
The candidates include 796 men, 65 women and one eunuch. Maximum 26 candidates are in fray for Barabanki seat, whereas Mehmoodabad has minimum number of 8 candidates.
Stakes are high for ruling BSP, Congress, SP and the BJP in the no holds barred fight for the 403 assembly seats.
The first phase of polling on Wednesday would decide the future of cabinet minister Lalji Verma, minister of state Sangram Singh Verma, 31 sitting MLAs, 15 former ministers and relatives of several MPs including Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma.
It would be a litmus test for Congress leaders, including Beni Prasad Verma and National Commission for Scheduled Caste chairman P.L. Punia as both of them represent the areas going to the polls.