NEW DELHI: Despite the Opposition flagging malfunctioning of EVMs in certain pockets, voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh on Friday was more or less peaceful.
Malfunctioning in one of the EVMs at a polling station in Noida Sector 66 briefly affected the poll process. In Greater Noida polling booths, too, a few complaints of malfunction were reported but were addressed. At Mamura, an EVM reportedly broke down.
In Ghaziabad, Congress candidate Dolly Sharma tagged the Election Commission on ‘X’ and claimed that the EVMs at booth number 335 had been shut for two hours. She also alleged that people of the areas dominated by the minority communities were “being threatened.” The Samajwadi Party also tagged the EC on ‘X’ and claimed that it had received information about EVM malfunction at booth number 282 of Ghaziabad.
Around 2:30 pm, Sharma again complained about an EVM malfunction in Vijay Nagar’s Sardar Patel School in Ghaziabad. She alleged about “fake voting” at the booth.
In terms of voter turnout, Gautam Budh Nagar fared better than Ghaziabad. While it registered 52.46% voting, Ghaziabad recorded an all-time low voting with only 49.8%, as per the EC.
In Ghaziabad, residents admitted fleeing to holiday destinations due to the long weekend and the absence of outreach by the candidates as reasons behind the lack of enthusiasm.
Polling stations at high-rise buildings witnessed an impressive footfall of voters. The administration had reportedly set up 100 polling booths at over 60 high-rise societies in Noida and Greater Noida.