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Poor voter turnout in UP bypolls as BJP, SP claim victory (Second Lead)
Lucknow, March 11 (IANS) Poor polling percentage was recorded in the bypolls 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 per cent 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 per cent.
Phulpur, represented by the present Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya before his election to the Legislative Council, had logged 50 per cent voting in the 2014 general elections.
In Phulpur, the poorest polling on Sunday was reported from Allahabad (East) where only 21.65 per cent voters turned up to exercise their franchise, followed by Allahabad (West) with 31 per cent.
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 per cent was in Gorakhpur city, and the highest 47 per cent 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 bypoll 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 will be big in both seats in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“On March 14, when the votes are counted, the Bua-Bhatija (Mayawati-Akhilsh Yadav) will suffer another sad jolt.”
SP chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took to microblogging site Twitter and claimed that the byelection outcome would be “historic and a game changer”.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Upendra Dutt Shukla is in the fray in Gorakhpur, represented by Adityanath since 1998. Gorakhpur has 970 polling centres and 2,141 polling stations.
There are 19.49 lakh eligible voters, including over 8 lakh women.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded Praveen Nishad in Gorakhpur. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have extended support to the SP candidate.
The Congress is fighting on its own and has named Surahita Kareem as its candidate.
The Phulpur seat has 793 polling centres and 2,059 polling stations. A total of 19.63 lakh voters decided the fate of 22 candidates.
The BJP has fielded Kaushlendra Singh Patel against Nagendra Singh Patel of the SP. The BSP, here too, is supporting the SP candidate. The Congress has fielded Manish Mishra.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.