44% Polling in 2nd Phase Civic Polls in Uttar Pradesh

Nearly 44 per cent voters on Wednesday exercised their franchise for the second phase of three-tier urban local bodies elections in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh. "Till 5 PM, 43.68 per cent votes were polled in 17 districts," state Election Commissioner S K Agarwal told reporters here. Incidents of violence were reported from Agra where police had to resort to lathicharge in Garh Chandni of Etamatdula area when supporters of an Independent candidate clashed with the police. Later, 16 people were arrested and government has ordered a probe headed by ADM(City) and SP(crime). At Kabir Inter College of Agra, a Circle Officer(CO) was injured in a stone pelting incident.
Reports of minor clashes were being received from Kanpur and Azamgarh too. In Kanpur, polling at ward no 41 in Shastrinagar has been cancelled due to wrong name printed in the ballot paper of the Congress candidate. In Hardoi, a polling personal died due to heart attack in Mallawa area. The deceased polling personal Paragi Lal was deployed at polling booth no 33. A report from Rampur district said an independent candidate Chote at ward number 14 in Bilaspur Nagarpalika died this morning due to a massive heart attack. State Election Commission (SEC) sources here said except for some malfunctioning of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), voting was peacefully.