34 pc polling till 1 pm in UP

Over 34 per cent polling was reported till 1 pm Sunday in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Union minister Maneka Gandhi are among the key contestants.

A state election office spokesperson said the average poll percentage was 34.92 per cent.

While Sultanpur parliamentary constituency recorded the highest turnout of 38.87 per cent, enthusiasm among voters was the least in Phulpur, where 29.20 per cent cast their ballots.

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

In Sultanpur, Union minister Maneka Gandhi and her rival BSP candidate Chandra Bhadra Singh alias Sonu had a face-off. Gandhi warned him that hooliganism wouldn't work, but Singh dismissed her charge.

"In Azamgarh, a presiding officer was removed following complaints by SP workers, A report has been sought from the district magistrate," UP's Chief Electoral Officer L Venkateshwar Lu ...