Poor voter turnout in UP by-polls as BJP, SP claim victory
Lucknow: Poor polling percentage was recorded in the by-polls for the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.
According to Election Commission (EC) officials, 43 per cent voters had exercised their franchise in Gorakhpur when official voting hours ended at 5 p.m. while this percentage was just 38 percent for the Phulpur seat in Allahabad.
Voters still in the queues outside various polling stations at the end of the voting hours will be allowed to vote, a poll official said, pointing out that it will lead to a marginal increase in the voting percentage.
The balloting percentage in Gorakhpur, represented in the Lok Sabha by Yogi Adityanath before he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in 2014 was 54.64 percent.
Phulpur, represented by the present Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya before his election to the Legislative Council, had logged 50 percent voting in the 2014 general elections.
In Phulpur, the poorest polling on Sunday was reported from Allahabad (East) where only 21.65 percent voters turned up to exercise their franchise, followed by Allahabad (West) with 31 percent.
Snags in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from some places. Polling was held up at Kidwai College in Allahabad (East) for some time due to a technical glitch.
In Gorakhpur, the lowest voter turnout of 33 percent was in Gorakhpur city and the highest 47 percent in Sahjanwa and Campierganj.
Both Chief Minister Adityanath and Maurya claimed victory for the BJP candidates, irrespective of the voter turnout in the two seats.
After casting his vote, a beaming Adityanath told reporters that the "BJP continues to get a groundswell of public support since they are witnessing development, peace, and prosperity under its government."
He also denied the influence of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance on the by-poll results.
"This is an unholy and opportunistic alliance, and the people know their real agenda very well and will thus defeat them emphatically," the Chief Minister said.
Maurya, after casting his vote along with his wife and son, said the victory margins would be big in both seats in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"On March 14, when the votes are counted, the Bua-Bhatija (Mayawati-Akhilesh Yadav) will suffer another sad jolt."
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Adequate LPG stock in Chhattisgarh, no need to panic, says CM Sai
Raipur (PTI): Amid reports of shortage of commercial LPG cylinder in several parts of the country due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday assured people that they need not worry about the availability of cooking gas in the state.
He asserted that adequate stock of LPG as well as petrol and diesel was available in the state.
Sai said in a statement that authorities have been directed to regularly monitor stock at gas agencies and keep a close watch on the supply chain. Necessary instructions were issued to officials in all districts to ensure a smooth supply of LPG.
The chief minister instructed officials to take strict action if any complaint of black marketing or hoarding of LPG cylinders is received.
Sai urged state residents not to pay attention to rumours and to book cooking gas cylinders as per their actual requirement.
The government was fully alert to ensure the availability of essential commodities to citizens, he emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh Hotel and Restaurant Association has issued an advisory to hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food businesses across the state, urging them to maintain calm and avoid panic buying.
In the advisory, Taranjeet Singh Hora, president of the association, asked members to maintain coordination and immediately inform it about any major disruption in LPG supply.
He cautioned businesses against hoarding cylinders, saying such practices could worsen the situation for the entire hospitality sector.
The association advised hotels and restaurants to prioritise essential kitchen operations, core menu items and already committed banquet events.
Use electric cooking equipment wherever possible for emergency and staff kitchens such as induction cooktops, electric hot plates, electric rice cookers and kettles, the advisory stated.
