Voter
[Representational image]Press Information Bureau

The first of the seven phases of the Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will be held on Saturday (February 11). Around 2.6 crore voters will exercise their franchise in 26,823 polling booths across 73 constituencies in this phase to decide the fate of 839 candidates. The state has a total of 403 Assembly seats.

Also read: UP elections 2017: Will Uma Bharti's comments on torture of rapists rile human rights groups?

As the elections get under way, International Business Times, India, brings to you the live updates of the events that unfold throughout the day:

7:02 pm IST:

6:59 pm IST:

6:54 pm IST:

6:51 pm IST: 

6:41 pm IST: The EC has said that there was a 63 percent voter turnout inthe first phase of elections.

5:04 pm IST: Polling time for Phse 1 elections ends

4:32 pm IST:

3:45 pm IST: 52.90 percent voter turnout till 3 pm

3:20 pm IST: BJP National President Amit Shah addresses rally in Sitapur

3:08 pm IST: Mayawati addresses rally in Saharanpur

2:30 pm IST: UP records 45 percent voter turnout till 2 pm in 73 assembly constituencies. According to PTI, FIRs have been filed against three RLD workers for not allowing Dalit voters to vote for their franchise in Looyan village. 

1:56 pm IST: PM Mod i attacks Samajwadi Party and BSP in his speech at the rally accusing them of sheltering criminals in the state and not working towards the welfare of Budaun district.

"Budaun is among the 100 backward districts... What is the reason that fruits of development could not reach this land under SP and BSP ? Budaun toh VIP hai kyunki yeh to Mulayam aur Mayawati ka karya skhetra raha, phir bhi Budaun ka vikaas nahi hua hai (Budaun is a VIP district because it is the workplace of Mulayam and Mayawati. Still, there has been no development in Badaun)," PM Modi said.

He added: "Pura pradesh jaanta hai aapke (Akhilesh Yadav) kaam nahi karname bolte hain (The whole country knows that your antics, and not your work, speaks). Why is it that even after 70 years of independence, 18,000 villages did not get electricity? SP MLA here had levelled serious allegations against SP MP and if asked about it, Mulayamji would've said that 'boys make mistakes'. Samajwadi party MLA blamed an MP from their party of corruption. Did they take in action? How can they be so irresponsible?"

He also said: "Why is the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh sheltering criminals? When I took strong steps against corruption, all parties came together against Modi. SP, BSP united and spoke in one voice against us... For political gains, UP government played with aspirations of youth in the state."

1:46 pm IST: Overall 39.43 percent voter turnout till 1 pm in first phase of polls

1:40 pm IST:

1:10 pm IST: PM Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh

12:36 pm IST: Uttar Pradesh records more than 24 percent voter turnout till 11 am in the first phase of elections

11:56 am IST: Sitting MLA Kapil Dev Agarwal of BJP is contesting against Gaurav Bansal of Samajwadi Party, Payal Maheshwari of RLD and Rakesh Sharma of BSP in Muzaffarnagar

11:49 am IST: Shamli sees 29 percent voting till 11 am

11:20 am IST: Now, a Union minister turns up to vote. 

11:05 am IST: Meanwhile, the elections for three MLC seats in UP are out, and they have all gone to the BJP.

10:20 am IST: The police have detained Gagan Som, brother of BJP candidate Sangeet Som. 

10:05 am IST: Just about a tenth of the voters have turned up in the first two hours.

9:40 am IST: The numbers are starting to pick up.

9:30 am IST: The polling is somewhat sluggish in phase 1 of the UP elections. So far, at least.

9:10 am IST: BJP leader Sangeet som castsa his vote. 

8:40 am IST: The EC may have worked very hard, and that effort is bearing fruit — or flowers in this case — in UP.

8 am IST: As with the Goa and Punjab elections, BJP candidates and leaders are also showing the way by casting their votes early. 

7:30 am IST: Polling has been delayed in a few booths because of faulty ATMs. However, the situation should be sorted out shortly because the EC has anticipated such hiccups and prepared accordingly. 

7 am IST: Polling has begun for the first phase of the UP Assembly elections.

6 am IST: The Election Commission has ordered significant transfer in UP in light of the Assembly elections.

5 am IST: Polling is barely hours away, and political parties, as is their wont, are already predicting victory. "People in UP will vote for development. Indeed there is a polarisation for development, jobs and eradication of lawlessness," said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday evening.

4 am IST: Heavy security arrangements have been made for polling in nearly 27,000 polling booths across 73 constituencies in the first phase of polling.

The BSP has fielded candidates in all 73 seats, as has the BJP. The CPI has candidates in five seats, the CPM in four, the Congress in 24, the RLD in in 57, and the SP in 51. There are 291 Independent candidates, while 261 have been categorised as "Registered but unrecognised."

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