The second and final phase of the urban local body polls concluded peacefully in six districts of Azamgarh and Mirzapur divisions of eastern Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Azamgarh, Ballia, Mau, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra were among the 38 districts that went to polls on the day.
Sporadic incidents of skirmishes among supporters of candidates were reported from a few locations in Azamgarh and Ballia.
Police said the supporters of the two candidates for the post of corporator had an altercation over breaching the queue outside the polling station at Wesley Inter College under Kotwali police station area of Azamgarh. Soon, the situation took an ugly turn as the supporters clashed. Security personnel, including police force on duty, used mild force to disperse the crowd.
In Azamgarh, voting was held to elect chairpersons of three municipal councils (nagar palikas), including Azamgarh, Bilariaganj and Mubarakpur, and 13 town areas (nagar panchayats).
Superintendent of police, Azamgarh, Anurag Arya said municipal elections in Azamgarh district have been conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
In Ballia, the election was held for the chairpersons of the Ballia municipal council and 11 town areas.
Two corporator candidates sparred over an issue related to their agents in Ballia, a police officer said, adding the police pacified them.
Police caught a bogus voter at a polling centre at Bhagat Singh Vidyalaya of Rasra. Police also caught a youth who reached Bhrigu Ashram with a fake identity card at a polling centre in Ballia.
Bike-borne assailants attacked Rajkumar Gupta, Congress candidate for post of Rasra Town area chairman, with a knife when he was on his way back home. Gupta suffered hand injuries and was rushed to hospital where his condition is stated to be out of danger after treatment.
Voting also remained peaceful in Mau, considered a stronghold of jailed former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who was recently sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in a Gangster Act case. Votes were cast to elect the chairman of Mau Municipal Council and chiefs of 10 town areas in the district. The locals, however, said the situation was different in this election as Mukhtar’s elder brother Afzal Ansari was also jailed after being sentenced to four years imprisonment in a Gangster Act case. Voting also concluded peacefully in Bhadohi, Sonbhadra and Mirzapur.