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Polling begins peacefully in UP, Bihar, J&K

Amid tight security, polling began at 0700 hours today in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh.

Reports received at Bhopal said polling was progressing peacefully at all places.

More than 10.48 million voters, including nearly 7.1 million women, are eligible to exercise their franchise at 17,922 polling stations.

As many as 123 candidates are testing their electoral fortune in Sagar (SC), Khajuraho, Damoh, Satna, Rewa, Sidhi (ST), Shahdol (ST), Sarguja (ST), Raigarh (ST), Janjgir , Jabalpur and Bhopal.

Although Vidisha and Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituencies were also scheduled to go to polls today, the Election Commission had postponed polling in these areas to September 28 as the polling parties could not reach polling stations at many places due to heavy rains.

Prominent among those who figure in today's polling are Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Welfare Uma Bharati (BJP), Congress Sewa Dal President Suresh Pachouri and former Union minister Aslam Sher Khan (NCP) (all from Bhopal) and Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi (Shahdol-ST).

Helicopters are being pressed into service to maintain aerial surveillance in the Naxalite-infested Sarguja (ST) Lok Sabha constituency bordering Bihar. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the sensitive constituencies of Bhopal, Rewa and Satna.

Polling for 30 of the 85 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh started at 0700 hours today on a peaceful note.

Over 36 million voters, including 16 million women are eligible to decide the political fate of 426 candidates.

As many as 24 women are in the fray. Polling for another 24 seats in the state would be held on September 24 and for the remaining 31 seats in the final phase on October 3.

More than 43,000 booths have been set up for today's polling. Out of them, about 23,000 were identified as hypersensitive or sensitive.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful polling. Pre-poll violence in Jalesar constituency resulted in the death of two persons.

More than 300 companies of security personnel which include 134 from the paramilitary forces and the Rapid Action Force have been deployed to help maintain law and order during the poll.

According to the state home department, half of the constituencies spread over 32 districts of the state have been identified as hypersensitive or sensitive.

The constituencies going to the polls today are Unnao, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Chandauli, Varanasi, Robertsganj (Reserved), Mirzapur, Phulpur, Chail (Reserved), Fatehpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Jalaun (Reserved), Ghatampur (Reserved), Bilhaur, Kanpur, Etawah, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Jalesar, Etah, Ferozabad (Reserved), Agra, Mathura, Hthras (Reserved), Aligarh, Khurja (Reserved) and Bulandshahr. Voting for three of these seats -- Kanpur, Agra and Allahabad, is being conducted through electronic machines.

Of the 30 seats, 25 were won by the BJP in the 1998 elections. The remaining five were won by the SP. They include Kannauj where party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is a candidate. He is also contesting from Sambhal seat in the state which he had won last time. Polling for this seat would be held on September 25.

Prominent among the candidates whose electoral fate would be decided today are Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi (Allahabad), former defence minister and Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav (Kannauj), former ''bandit queen'' Phoolan Devi of the SP (Mirzapur), film star Raj Babbar of the SP (Agra), late Union minister Dinesh Singh's daughter Ratna Singh of the Congress (Pratapgarh) and state Congress chief Salman Khursheed's wife Louis Khursheed (Farrukhabad), former state minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal state president Kailash Nath Singh and the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) state secretary Akhilendra Pratap Singh (both Chandauli).

Polling for 19 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar began peacefully at 0700 hours today amid tight security.

Less than five percent voters had exercised their franchise in the first one-and-a-half hours of polling.

Reports from Gaya and Giridih and other extremist-dominated districts indicated a low turnout yet.

Official sources said no untoward incident was reported from anywhere so far.

Altogether 2,06,75,446 voters in south and central parts of the state are eligible to exercise their franchise in 29,169 polling booths in this phase of the poll. Over sixty percent of the booths have been identified as either sensitive or hypersensitive.

Polling commenced on a brisk note for 14 Lok Sabha and 97 assembly constituencies in the third and final phase of elections in Andhra Pradesh today, notwithstanding the poll boycott call given by the outlawed People's War Group.

About 17.5 million voters, including 8.7 million women, will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 108 candidates for the Lok Sabha and 702 candidates for the assembly.

About 70,000 policemen have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling. Six companies of paramilitary forces have been pressed into service in the Naxal-infested areas, including Adilabad district, where Sirpur's sitting MLA, P Purushotham Rao, and his three gunmen were killed by The PWG on Wednesday last.

Election in the Sirpur assembly segment was postponed in the wake of the killing. About 30 candidates of leading parties have been provided with bullet proof jackets.

As many as 9,866 of the 21,438 polling stations were identified as sensitive. Prominent candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha poll include former Union ministers S.Jaipal Reddy, Renuka Choudary, P Upendra, Baga Reddy, G Venkatswamy, (all Congress), K Ganga Reddy, Venugopalachari (both Telegu Desam Party), Ch Vidyasagar Rao (BJP) and S Sudhakar Reddy (Communist Party of India).

Barring Vijayawada and Guntur rest of the constituencies fall under the Telangana region.

A bomb exploded near the transport yard in Baramulla as polling began at 0700 hours this morning in this border parliamentary constituency.

However, no one was injured in the blast. Elaborate security arrangements have been made following a boycott call given by separatist organisations and the militants' threat to disrupt the poll process. About 130 companies of Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police have been deployed across the constituency, spread over 15 assembly segments of the twin border districts of Baramulla and Kupwara, an official spokesman said. A total of 1143 polling stations have been set up.

A UNI correspondent who visited more than 25 polling booths in the morning was told by polling officials that the first voter was yet to turn up.

The streets wore a deserted look and only security force personnel were seen deployed on both sides of the road, keeping a tight vigil. Reports of very dull polling were received from other areas of the constituency. However, situation in the border towns of Uri and Karnah was slightly different, where people were seen going to the booths to exercise their franchise.

Official sources said that Pakistani troops resorted to intermittent artillery and mortar shelling in Keran and Karnah sectors throughout the night. However, no casualty has been reported.

Sources said a Gujjar couple was killed and eight houses damaged due to Pak shelling in Teetwal sector of the constituency yesterday.

State chief electoral officer S V Bhave said that precautionary measures have been taken to thwart the designs of the militants.

A total of 7,62,237 voters, including 3,34,485 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise. Locking horns in the multi-cornered contest are Abdul Rashid Shaheen of the ruling National Conference, former Union minister Saif-ud-din Soz, Muzaffar Hussain Baig (both independents), Mohammad Sultan (BJP), Nazir Ahmad (Janata Dal-Secular), Susheel Kumar (Janata Party), Ghulam Nabi Mir (Awami League) and Gyani Sant Singh, Mohammad Yasin and Wali Mohammad (all independents).

UNI

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