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EVM snags, boycotts in Firozabad, Etah, Mainpuri during 3rd phase LS polls

Agra: Amid scores of EVM snags and several hours of poll boycotts, two constituencies out of the three in Agra zone recorded low turnout of voters in the third phase of voting on Tuesday.

According to Election Commission, while Mainpuri constituency recorded 59.90%, Firozabad recorded 58.80 %, which was 8.69% less than the 2014 general elections.

Though the exact reason for such low percentage is not clear, local sources in Firozabad claimed that at a couple of booths, locals staged protests and boycotted voting for several hours. Polling only resumed after local administration intervened.

Technical snags in EVMs and powercuts were reported in scores of booths. A complaint registered on chief election commission’s Uttar Pradesh twitter handle stated that Firozabad constituency reported snags in EVMs in at least at 11 booths.

At Munia Kheda village booth number 359 in Narkhi block, local residents staged a protest and boycotted the polls due to lack of development in the area. Similarly, in booth 392 of Nagla Kekan village under Jasrana police jurisdiction and at Nagla Maan Singh village, local residents boycotted the election.

After intervention of district administration, the respective booths reported that a few voters cast their ballot in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party chief Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is contesting from Firozabad constituency against his nephew Akshay Yadav, said, “Every strata of society is voting for PSPL, whether it is general, backward, Dalit or Muslim. When all these voters of various background will vote us, then we definitely will have a big win.”

In Mainpuri, two officers — presiding officer and first election officer — were removed, after a booth number 379 VVPAT reported a glitch. In another case, an EVM in booth 241 reported a snag which was later rectified.

Etah constituency comprising five assembly segments — Etah, Marhara, Kasganj, Amapur and Patiyali — recorded highest average voter turnout at 59.90% even after the constituency reported maximum number of EVM snags.

In Etah constituency, local staged a protest at booth number 88 and 323 over EVM snags, after which election officers replaced the machines with new ones. The presiding officer of booth 88 was also removed.

In total, 19 booths in the parliamentary constituency of Etah reported EVM snags. Maximum number of snags were reported in 12 booths from Kasganj district, including Bilram and Kudamipur. The on duty election officers took one to two hours to rectify the snags. Meanwhile, in Etah’s Rijor, six booths in Shashpur, Barora, Ghumariya reported glitches, forcing local residents to wait in a queue.

In Etah’s Marhara booth number 162, a ceiling fan collapsed on the presiding officer’s head.

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