NEW DELHI: Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency recorded 53.30 per cent peaceful voting in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) data showed. It had recorded a voter turnout of 60.47 per cent in the 2019 general elections.
The constituency, with its diverse political landscape, saw a total of 15 candidates vying for the seat. This includes a mix of established politicians and new faces, all hoping to secure the votes of over 26.75 lakh registered voters.
The voting started on a peaceful note with nearly 12 per cent voting at 9 am in the seat comprising Dadri, Noida, Jewar, Sikandrabad and Khurja assembly segments. Sikandrabad and Khujra geographically fall in the adjoining Bulandshahr district but are part of Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency.
The turnout reached 24 per cent at 11 am, nearly 35 per cent at 1 pm, 44 per cent at 3 pm and 51.60 per cent at 5 pm.
According to the reports, one of the EVMs malfunctioned at a polling station in Noida Sector 66, and the Election Commission officials replaced the machine. At Mamura in Greater Noida, an EVM reportedly broke down.
Among the prominent figures exercising their franchise were Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Singh Nagar, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala and Noida District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma.
The district administration had earlier stated that of the 1,852 polling booths, webcasting will be introduced at 931 to enable real-time monitoring of the electoral process from control rooms. The authorities had identified 330 booths as ‘critical’ and 204 as ‘vulnerable’. Around 10,000 polling officials and 11,000 security personnel were deployed to conduct smooth elections.
Among the city’s most posh sectors, the residents’ welfare association (RWA) in Sector 15A arranged electric vehicles to ferry voters to and from the polling booth.
The ruling BJP decided to go to the polls with its sitting MP, Mahesh Sharma, while the INDIA bloc allies Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress fielded Rahul Awana on the SP ticket. The BSP, which is contesting alone, has given the ticket to Rajendra Singh Solanki. The results will be announced on June 4.