Polling was held today for all 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand and 40 constituencies in Goa, as well as for 55 out of 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, in the second phase of the 2022 Assembly Elections.
Voting, which is being held in accordance with Covid guidelines issued by the Election Commission, began at 7 am and concluded at 5 pm in Uttar Pradesh. In Goa (which started polling at 7 am) and Uttarakhand (which opened at 8 am), polls closed at 6 pm.
As per the Election Commission, while Uttarakhand recorded 61.58 per cent voter turnout in the Assembly elections, Goa achieved 78.94 per cent voter turnout while Uttar Pradesh recorded 62.99 per cent polling for the 55 seats.
In Uttar Pradesh, of the 55 seats going to polls in this phase, the ruling BJP had won 38 in 2017, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) had bagged 15 and the Congress two. The SP and the Congress had contested the last Assembly election in an alliance. The state is having a seven-phase election.
Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which the BJP currently has 17 legislators and enjoys the support of legislators from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), and three independents.
In the 2022 polls, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being challenged by Congress, Trinamool Congress and Aam Admi Party (AAP) in a multi-cornered electoral contest in Goa.
BJP is hoping to win a second term in Uttarakhand, which has seen 11 Chief Ministers in the last two decades.
Here are the Highlights on Elections 2022 Phase 2 Voting:
A 70-year-old woman undergoing treatment in a hospital in Saharanpur, came to a polling booth in an ambulance to cast her vote during second phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
Ahead of the Manipur Assembly polls, Congress on Monday released a list 30 of star campaigners for the second phase of the Manipur assembly election to be held on March 5.
Goa recorded a voter turnout of 75.29 per cent in the second phase of the 2022 Assembly Elections till 5 pm, while Uttarakhand saw a 59.37 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm.
Uttar Pradesh recorded a 60.44 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm on Monday in the second phase of the ongoing Assembly elections, for 55 out of 403 seats.
PM Modi today addressed a rally in Punjab, the first since the security lapse in the state, ahead of the third phase of the elections on February 20, when Punjab will go to polls.
A BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh today defended his hate speech, littered with anti-Muslim slur, that has gone viral in the middle of elections.
An average voter turnout of 39.07 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Monday in Uttar Pradesh as polling for the second phase of the state assembly elections picked up pace after a slow start.
The first two hours of polling saw few voters reaching polling booths owing to fog and cold conditions. But as the day progressed, more and more voters stepped out of their homes to exercise their franchise.
Goa reported 44.63 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm for all the 40 assembly constituencies as polling for single-phase State Assembly elections are underway, informed Election Commission of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Trinamool Congress of trying to split the Hindu vote in Goa, alleging it was a claim the party made openly. "The Election Commission should take notice," he added.
- Goa - 44.63%
- Uttar Pradesh - 39.07%
- Uttarakhand - 35.21%
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his wife have been accused of violating the model code of conduct on voting day by visiting booths with scarves bearing the BJP's symbol.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal said the party will work with the centre on issues of national security if it is voted to power in the upcoming Punjab election.
Amandeep Kaur Dholewal, 37, feels that successive Punjab governments have failed to resolve the basic issues of the people and its time commoners like her took matters into their own hands.
So she quit her job as a medical officer at the Police Hospital in Chandigarh and entered the poll race "to bring about a change".
Women have picked BJP's flag to win. My Muslim sisters are coming out of their houses to vote for BJP. Ghor parivarwadi will lose again in 2022. This time in UP, Holi will be celebrated 10 days before when the election results come: Modi says at a rally in Kanpur Dehat.
Uttarakhand reported 18.97 per cent voter turnout till 11 am for the 70 members Assembly elections on Monday, according to the Election Commission of India.
The polling in the hilly state started at 8 am and will end at 6 pm.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Khatima, Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday cast his vote along with his wife and mother in the ongoing assembly elections in the state.
- Goa - 26.63%
- Uttar Pradesh - 23.03%
- Uttarakhand - 18.97%
"The polling process is peaceful and fair everywhere. No report of any untoward incident received," said BD Ram Tiwari, Additional Chief Election Officer.
Amroha witnessed the highest percentage of voter turnout of 10.83 per cent followed by Sambhal (10.76 per cent) and Moradabad (9.86 per cent).
The New India will function according to the constitution, not the Shariat law, and the dream of "Ghazva-e-Hind (ultimate conquest of India)" will never come true, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said
Goa has so far witnessed shifting of power largely between the Congress and the BJP, but poll observers feel that after the February 14 Assembly elections, smaller parties and new entrants are likely to play a crucial role in government formation.
- Goa - 11.04%
- Uttar Pradesh - 9.45%
- Uttarakhand - 5.15%
A sub-plot in the electoral battle for Manipur this time has been the rivalry between members of BJP-led the ruling coalition, the latest episode of which on Saturday saw one of them accuse another of an outright "betrayal".
Soon after polling in Goa began, the Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday urged people to vote and asked the electorate to "choose development".
"To all my Goan friends today; choose development, choose a politics that puts you first, choose the freedom to be you: choose Goa!" tweeted Ms Vadra.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday urged the people of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to vote in record numbers to ensure the prosperous future of their states.
The Home Minister appealed to the voters of Uttar Pradesh, in the ongoing second phase of polling, to elect a government that will ensure a safe and secure future of the state.
A Punjab BJP candidate's car was allegedly attacked by unknown persons late this evening in Ludhiana.
In Goa, to check the spread of COVID-19, voters have been provided hand gloves at the polling stations, an election official said. Over 100 'all-women' polling booths have been set up in the state for the convenience of female voters.
Polling to the 70 Assembly seats spread over 13 districts of Uttarakhand began amid tight security on Monday morning.
This is the fifth Assembly poll being held in the hill state since its creation in 2000.
A public holiday has been declared by the administration for the single-day polling in the state.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday clarified that he said 80 per cent people are with the BJP, while 20 per cent oppose the party and that his remark was not in context of religion or caste.
Fifty-five constituencies spread across nine districts of Uttar Pradesh are voting today, amid an increasingly shrill, polarised campaign. Polling is also being held in two other BJP-ruled states, Goa and Uttarakhand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public rally in Jalandhar on Monday ahead of Assembly elections in Punjab.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged voters to vote in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy.
As many as 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase with the seats spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur.
Polling begins for 55 seats in Uttar Pradesh and Goa. Voting in Uttarakhand will start at 8 am.