Kanpur records 54 percent polling

KANPUR: A soaring mercury on Wednesday failed to deter the people from casting their vote who queued up in large number at the polling stations in the city. By the time voting stopped at 6pm, an impressive 53.47% had cast votes, beating an unbearable 43 degrees temperature. In fact, the polling crossed the previous 2009 Lok Sabha election mark of 36.90%.

This keenly watched constituency from where political heavyweights -- BJP's veteran Murli Manohar Joshi, Union minister and three-time sitting Congress MP Sri Prakash Jaiswal, BSP's Salim Ahmed, SP's Surendra Mohan Agarwal and AAP's Mehmood Rehmani -- are in the fray, recorded 17% increase in the turnout.

Polling in the industrial city crossed the 50% mark only in the 1977, 1980 and 1984 Parliamentary elections. The highest ever polling, 57.78%, was in the 1977 general elections whereas the lowest at 25.22% was in 1962.

"Around 53.47 percent of the 16 lakh eligible voters cast their votes till 6pm," said district election officer Roshan Jacob. She said polling has been peaceful and there were no reports of any untoward incident. Around 10.94% of voters cast their votes across 322 polling stations till 9am, which further rose to 24.18% at 11.30. At around 1 PM, it escalated to 36.06% and further at around 4pm, it went up to 44.31%. The discrepancies reported in EVMs at a few polling booths were immediately resolved, she added.

Jaiswal, who is looking for the fourth term, exuded confidence that "the UPA will form the next government at the Centre". "I am hundred percent sure of my victory. UPA will again form the government at the Centre. The contest here is between Congress and BJP and the huge turnout has only reflected the mood of the people who have showed their love for the Congress," he said after casting his ballot at a polling booth in Pokharpurwa area of Chakeri.

About the BJP allegations against him on Coalgate, Jaiswal said: "I have challenged everyone who has accused me. Whether it be Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley or Murli Manohar Joshi, but none have the guts to accept the challenge. They have failed to prove the charges." Such things are common during elections, it hardly matters to me, he added.

Jaiswal main challenger and veteran BJP leader Joshi, who had to make way for his party's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at the Varanasi parliamentary seat, praised the voters who turned out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right.

Sitting in a white Ambassador car and dressed in a khadi 'dhoti-kurta', Joshi sounded confident about his victory. He said, "the large turnout of voters is a proof enough that I am winning from Kanpur."

Joshi, who had reportedly denied any Modi wave, said on the poll-eve that "only the BJP can give a good governance and a vote for the BJP would be the vote for positive change under the able leadership of Narendra Modi".

There was a mad rush of media persons outside the polling booth in Pokharpurwa after Congress candidate Jaiswal walked out after casting his vote. Jaiswal, while displaying his inked finger, lost his cool and reprimanded a TV channel reporter who was hell bent on getting his byte over Coalgate scam.