Ramgopal Yadav Votes in Saifai as UP MLC Polling Continues
Polling for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) elections is continuing today in several districts, with security forces on alert at polling locations. Voters are heading to booths in Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Etawah.
In Lucknow, 11 Legislative Council seats are going to the polls today. The seats include five from the graduate constituency and six from the teacher constituency. Voting is taking place through ballot papers. Counting of votes is scheduled for October 27.
Varanasi has arranged 81 polling stations for the graduate constituency and 21 for the teacher constituency. The teacher constituency has 34,899 eligible voters, and the graduate constituency has 288,567 voters who can exercise their franchise. Robust security measures have been put in place to ensure smooth and peaceful polling.
ACP Pragya Pathak said, “The MLC elections are underway from 8 am to 4 pm today. Police have been deployed at various polling stations, and male and female police officers have been stationed for security.”
In Hardoi, polling for the Lucknow division teacher and graduate Legislative Council elections began peacefully at the GIC Inter College. The first voter who came out after casting the vote said that voting was being carried out in a peaceful environment at the centre. Police and administration are keeping a strict watch outside the polling station, and voting is being videographed.
Polling is also underway in Raebareli. The district has set up 20 polling centres, with a total of 61 booths. Among graduate category voters, 29,261 will exercise their right to vote, and 4,384 voters in the teacher category will cast their ballots. A heavy police presence has been deployed at the polling centres.
In Etawah, Samajwadi Party national chief general secretary Professor Ramgopal Yadav cast his vote at the Saifai block for the graduate election. Speaking to the media, he said, “Both our candidates will win. Akash Agarwal, our candidate from the teacher constituency, and our candidate from the graduate constituency will win.”
When asked about allegations of harassment of opposition leaders during the elections, Ramgopal Yadav said, “Police went to one or two places in Auraiya yesterday. However, I spoke with the Election Commission and the Superintendent of Police, and they then withdrew from there. No such news has come from there or anywhere else. So far, no reports of irregularities have been received here.”
On irregularities in voter lists, Ramgopal Yadav said, “I have no information about fake entries. But if names have been wrongly recorded, voters too have a responsibility to check them and raise objections at the right time. It is not proper to place all the blame on officials.”