Lucknow witnessed low voter turnout in all five assembly segments where polling was held for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Though polling was peaceful in all parts of this crucial constituency, voters did not turn up in large numbers at the booths even in the morning hours.

The constituency just scraped past the 50 per cent mark at 5 pm, following a day of slow voting.

At 4 pm, Lucknow East assembly segment had recorded the highest turnout at 46 per cent. The lowest, 40.22 per cent, was recorded in Lucknow Cantonment.

By 5 pm, Lucknow East maintained its position with 53.21 per cent voting while Cantonment remained last at 46.46 per cent.

While voter turnout in Lucknow Central was 49.09 per cent, it was 52.47 per cent in Lucknow West and 50.54 per cent in Lucknow North.

Lucknow West segment covers some of the old city areas where there is a sizeable number of minority community population.

In Lucknow East, from where the BJP has never lost an assembly election since 1991, the turnout was just about 20 per cent at around noon.

There were no long queues outside most polling booths, especially those that cover areas dominated by middle class populations in Lucknow East, Lucknow North and Lucknow Cantonment.

Voting picked up in the afternoon at polling booths 168-172 of the Lucknow East segment. Voters turned out in large numbers in spite of the afternoon heat of 12.30 pm.

The setting sun, however, failed to encourage voters to come out of their homes in many areas. Though voting was expected to pick up in the evening in most constituencies, there was only a slight rise.

The Lucknow seat is crucial because it is the parliamentary constituency of Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Singh exercised his vote earlier today at a polling booth 333 at Scholar’s Home School in the city’s Gomti Nagar area, which is part of Lucknow Central segment.

Singh is facing challenge from SP’s Poonam Sinha, who is a candidate of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance, and Congress’ Pramod Krishnam.

It is noteworthy that the total voting percentage in Lucknow was about 53 per cent in 2014, of which Singh had secured 5,61,106 votes, or 54.23 per cent, of total votes polled.

The BJP is currently in power in all five assembly segments.

Voting was also low in Mohanlalganj, a Lok Sabha constituency in Lucknow district.