UP Polls: In Gzb, GB Nagar, rural areas see higher voter turnout

Noida/Ghaziabad: The voting for Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections was held peacefully across all the nine constituencies in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts on Thursday with rural voters turning out in larger numbers compared to the urban population.

The polling began at 7 am with many polling booths seeing voters reach as early as 6:30 am. In GB Nagar, the voter turnout till 9 am reportedly stood at 8.07 per cent which gradually increased to 28. 66 per cent till 1 pm and 53. 48 per cent by 5 pm. The final voter turnout in GB Nagar district was recorded at 57. 07 per cent of the total 16.25 lakh registered voters.

As per data, the highest voter turnout among all the three constituencies of GB Nagar was recorded in Jewar, with a total of 66.66 per cent, followed by Dadri at 59.78 per cent and Noida at just 50.1 per cent.

A large number of young people were seen coming out to exercise their democratic right this time, with many of them saying they had decided to vote for their "country above caste and religion". Shivang Saraswat, a first-time voter from Greater Noida West said that the youth should vote to make their democratic country strong. "I am glad that I have got the chance to cast my vote for the first time. This is a democratic right of every citizen and we must use our power to bring positive change into the society," he said.

In Ghaziabad as well, the voter turnout gradually increased after 10 am with people queuing up outside polling stations in large numbers. The highest turnout, according to the Election Commission's Voter Turnout app, was recorded in the Modi Nagar constituency at 66.5 per cent, followed by Loni at 61.87 per cent, Muradnagar at 59.7 per cent, Ghaziabad at 51.77 per cent and Sahibabad at 45 per cent. Apart from some minor glitches in the polling procedure, the situation remained peaceful. At some polling stations in Dadri and Noida, people couldn't find their names in the voter list while a report from Ghaziabad said a minor tussle took place between supporters of BJP leader V K Singh and Congress leader Rajan Kant, when the former addressed media persons and talked about the work done by the BJP within the premises of a polling station, and security personnel had to intervene.

Meanwhile, the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar Suhas LY who is also the district electoral officer thanked voters in Gautam Budh Nagar for participating in the process in record numbers.