With the completion of the voting process on eight seats in the state in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, the fate of 171 candidates has been sealed in two phases of polls in Uttar Pradesh covering 16 out of total 80 seats.
Average voting in the second phase 8 seats was 55.39 percent. Maximum votes were cast in Amroha at 64.54 percent and lowest in Mathura at 49.29 percent.
In the first phase of polling in 8 seats of UP, the overall polling percentage was around 61 %.
In the last general election in 2019, 62.18 percent votes were cast on these second phase seats.
However this time too, the voting percentage was very low and all efforts by ECI and others could not create enthusiasm among to voters to reach the booth .
Though ECI officials here maintained that heatwave conditions were the main reason for low turnout . But on the other hand , political observers feel that the lack of enthusiasm among the voters for any political party was another reason for the low voting percentage.
Meanwhile , decrease of polling percentage by 5 to 6 per cent has given the political parties and the candidates to rethink about their strategies in the remaining five phases of polls in 64 Lok Sabha seats.
IMD had already predicted heat wave conditions in Central and East UP in April- May where the polling is scheduled in the next 5 phase .
Voting began with enthusiasm at booths in Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday morning, but the pace slowed down after noon.