14 February,2022 10:45 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Citizens wait to cast their vote at a polling booth, during the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, in Moradabad. Pic/PTI
From ferrying the elderly and differently-abled in 'dolis' to making arrangements for Covid patients, the Election Commission on Monday ensured people in Goa, Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh do not miss out on voting in the assembly elections. The voter turnout reported at 5 pm was 75.29 per cent in Goa and 60.44 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, the poll panel said, while Uttarakhand till 6 pm reported 62.5 per cent.
Voting was held peacefully in all three states, officials said. While on Monday, assembly polls in Goa and Uttarakhand were completed in a single phase, for Uttar Pradesh, today was the second of a seven-phase election. The results will be declared on March 10. According to the commission, special 'divyang dolis' were deployed in Uttarakhand with the help of volunteers from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) for assisting people with disabilities (PwD) and senior citizens to polling stations. In the three states, over 2.19 lakh PwD voters and 4.67 lakh people above 80 years of age were registered to vote across 165 assembly constituencies. Cracking down on electoral malpractices, the commission had made seizures worth Rs 224.71 crores from the three states since the elections were announced on January 8.
"The seizure figure, which includes seizure of cash, liquor, narcotics, freebies etc. up to poll day is more than the total combined seizure of Rs 203.78 crore in the entire General Election to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa legislative assemblies-2017 including all phases," an Election Commission statement said. It said 2,400 flying squads and 2,654 static surveillance teams were operationalised to check movement of cash, liquor, drugs and freebies in the three states. Besides Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa, assembly polls will also be held in Punjab on February 20 and in Manipur on February 28 and March 4. "The progressive seizure of all five states where assembly elections are being held as on date is Rs 771.25 crore," the commission said.
For the Monday phase of polls, 106 general observers, 35 expenditure observers and 39 police observers were deployed by the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections. Elaborate arrangements were made to sanitise 36,832 polling stations across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa with nodal officers ensuring adequate preventive measures during the entire electoral process. "The last hour of the polling was reserved for the Covid affected or suspect voters and voting was ensured with all Covid appropriate protocols at the polling stations," the commission said. The elections were conducted for single phase election in 40 seats in Goa, 70 seats in Uttarakhand and for 55 seats in the second phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh.
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