Yesterday, in the first phase of UP polls, Abdul Ahmad an 85-year-old resident of Bhainswal village in Thana Bhawan in Shamli, claimed that he didn't allow to cast his vote by an election official at the polling station because he was declared "dead" on the voter list.
Talking to the news portal Ahmad said "I have always made it a point to vote. But this time, something unexpected happened. They told me was dead according to the list. If I am then who is standing before then a ghost?"
While polling in charge Shalu Singh called Ahmad's accusations false and said, "His name was not there on the list. The matter has been referred to the sector magistrate. However, we did not say he was shown dead."
Sector magistrate Zaheer Alam said, "We are bound by rules. We do not prepare the list. It comes to us and we ensure only those whose names are on the list vote. His name was cut off from the list."
Meanwhile, the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections has been done successfully the district recorded a 59.87% turnout in votes. The first phase of polls covered 58 assembly constituencies across 11 districts of the state. These districts include Shamli, Meerut, Hapur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Mathura.
As many as 623 candidates were in the fray on 58 assembly seats. The main battle in this election was between BJP and Samajwadi Party. Other political parties, including the BSP and the Congress, are also expected to be in a strong position in some seats.