UP Polls 2017: 61.16 per cent voter turnout recorded at the close of polling

Lucknow: The average voter turnout was recorded as 61.16 per cent at the close of polling in the third phase of the assembly elections 2017, an Election Commission official said.

The third phase of Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly elections started at 0700 hours on Sunday to decide the fate of 826 candidates. Over 2.41 crore voters may use their franchise in 69 constituencies spread across 12 districts in the third of seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly polls 2017.

The electorate comprised of about 1.30 crore males and 1.10 crore women while 1026 belong to third gender, an official spokesman said.

The Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh also voted early morning in the capital city of the state at booth number 318 along with the Lucknow District Magistrate G S Priyadarshi. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manzil Saini also casted her voted.

This phase will be crucial for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav as there are many Mulayam and Shivpal loyalists who are contesting in this phase in the pocket borough of Yadav family. The ruling Samajwadi Party has the highest stakes in this phase as it had won on 55 seats out of 69 in the 2012 state assembly elections.

It is now on Akhilesh to prove his undisputed popularity and control over the party in this phase.

The districts going to polls in third phase also included Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar,Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki and Sitapur.

While the maximum number of candidates are in Etawah with a total of 21, Haidergarh (Barabanki) has the minimum number of candidates i.e 3.