Rural voters pip urban in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 62.7 pc overall turnout

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar witnessed 62.7 per cent voter turnout for the Lok Sabha election Thursday, with electors in rural areas outnumbering those in urban areas, said officials.

Voting, which began at 7 am and continued till 6 pm across 2,397 polling stations in the constituency of 22.97 lakh voters, saw an improvement in poll percentage over the previous elections, they said.

Union minister Mahesh Sharma is seeking reelection as a BJP candidate from Gautam Buddh Nagar, citing development work.

The Congress is hoping a young Arvind Kumar Singh regain the seat it had lost in the 1980s, while the BSP's Satveer Nagar, a rural favourite, is being backed by the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party as the coalition candidate.

There are 13 candidates, including two independent nominees, in the fray.

Gautam Buddh Nagar comprises Noida, Jewar, Dadri, Khurja and Sikandrabad assembly segments, with the latter two being in Bulandshahr district, they said.

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