Over 21 per cent polling in UP till 11 am

Voting picked up in Uttar Pradesh

after a slow start on Sunday in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state where SP President Akhilesh Yadav and Union minister Maneka Gandhi are among key contestants.

The average poll percentage was 21.98 per cent, a state election office spokesperson said.

While Basti parliamentary constituency recorded the highest turnout of 26.39 per cent, enthusiasm among voters was the least in Phulpur, where 18.20 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots till 11 am.

Altogether, 177 candidates are contesting in these 14 constituencies, where 2.53 crore people are eligible to vote at 16,998 polling centres.

Polling was underway in Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkararnagar, Shrawasti, Domariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabirnagar, Lalganj, Jaunpur, Machchlishahr, Bhadohi and Azamgarh constituencies in Purvanchal region of the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had won 13 of these 14 constituencies in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The only ...