UP Election 2022: Voting is almost equal to the last election in five phases in UP, what is its meaning?

UP Assembly Election 2022: The percentage of votes cast during five out of seven phases of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election is almost the same as the last assembly election. In such a situation, political parties and observers are in a dilemma whether it should be considered a vote in favor of power or the effect of an anti-incumbency wave.

Even if we look at the percentage of voting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there is no significant difference. While the Covid-19 pandemic is being seen as a major reason behind not increasing the voting percentage, some people say that voters have tried all the parties in the election so far, they are not ready to vote. There was no enthusiasm. Assembly elections have been held for five out of seven phases in the state. Polling for the remaining two phases will be held on March 3 and 7.

In the first phase of elections, 58 assembly seats in western Uttar Pradesh recorded an average of 62.43% voting on February 10, which was more than one percent less than 63.47% in 2017. At the same time, 64.42 percent voting was recorded in the second phase of polling held on February 14 and it was also 1.11 percent less than the last time. Voter turnout was 62.28% in the third phase, which was 0.07 percent more than the last time. In the fourth phase on February 23, 59 seats in the state including the capital Lucknow witnessed an average of 61.52% voting, which was 1.03% less than the 62.55 percent polling in 2017. In the fifth phase, an average of 57.32% polling was recorded in 61 assembly seats in different districts including Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Amethi, and Rae Bareli. This was also about one percent less than the year 2017.

The sixth phase of elections will be held on three fronts

The elections for the sixth phase of the state assembly will be held on March 3. In this phase, votes will also be held for the high-profile seat of Gorakhpur Nagar, the candidature of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In the year 2017, there was 56.52% voting in the seats of this phase. In the seventh phase, voting will be held in a total of 54 assembly constituencies, including the seats of Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the year 2017, there was 59.56% voting in the seats of this phase.

Former Chief Election Commissioner gave this information

SY Qureshi, the former Chief Election Commissioner of the country, said about the non-increase in the voting percentage, "I wonder why there was no increase in the vote percentage this time. Maybe this time there is something in the efforts to make voters aware." There is a shortage." Professor Sanjay Kumar, co-director of the research program 'Public Policy' of the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, said, "If you compare the vote percentage from last time, there is not much decline. Usually when people want to change the government So an atmosphere of more voting is created. This was also visible in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections." He said that there is also apathy towards voting in the minds of the voters. Whether it is in favor of power or against it, it will be known only after the results of the elections are declared.

BJP state spokesperson Manish Shukla made this claim

BJP state spokesperson Manish Shukla claimed that whatever the vote percentage, the voters of BJP are coming out of their homes to vote for the party. "However, the same cannot be said about other parties as their voters are inactive. It may have happened due to a mutual tussle in the SP-led alliance. But the SP has got success in every phase of the election, veteran Manoj Goswami (75), a resident of Lucknow Central Assembly constituency, said, "I did not vote because I was afraid that I might get Covid-19 infection." Sushil Kashyap, a tea seller on Lucknow's Latush Road, said, "We have seen the governments of all the parties. All are the same." On the other hand, 78-year-old Bhanwari Pathak, a resident of Allapur in Prayagraj, cast her vote after reaching an ambulance despite a fracture in her hip. At the same time, a woman went to the polling station and voted the very next day after giving birth to a child.

More than 14 lakh voters casting their vote for the first time in UP

This time in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, there are more than 14,66,000 such voters, who have become eligible to vote for the first time. The number of voters in Uttar Pradesh is more than 15 crore two lakhs.