Lok Sabha Elections 2024: A polling officer at a booth in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency has been suspended for allegedly taking selfies with his mobile phone while photographing voters on the day of polling two days ago, a top polling officer said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said that Ashish Kumar Arya, an assistant teacher at Girls' Primary School Umri in Muskara block of Hamirpur district was posted as a polling officer in polling station 112 of Shri Vidya Mandir Inter College in Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat.
In a clear violation of the instructions of the Election Commission (EC), Arya was suspended for inappropriate conduct. Taking cognisance of the violation of EC's directives, the District Basic Education Officer, Hamirpur, suspended Arya and posted him to Block Resource Centre, Muskara, he said.'
An assistant teacher posted as a polling officer in Hamirpur has been suspended for clicking a selfie inside the polling booth. Ashish Kumar Arya, an assistant teacher at Girls Primary School, Umri in Muskara Development Block in Hamirpur district, was deployed on duty as Polling Officer (First) at a polling station.
The official said that it is alleged that Arya took selfies with his mobile phone and took photographs of voters on the day of voting, which is a clear violation of the instructions of the Election Commission. He said that due to this serious violation, the District Basic Education Officer of Hamirpur has suspended Arya and has attached him to the Block resource centre in Muskara.
The Block Education Officer headquarters has been designated as the investigating officer to probe the matter, the statement said. The Chief Electoral Officer has cautioned the polling personnel to strictly follow the instructions of the commission during the election process and avoid any kind of inappropriate activities, it said.
Phase 5 turnout at 62.19 per cent
The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections has so far registered a voter turnout of approximately 62.19 per cent, 1.97 percentage points less than 2019. With the end of polls in the fifth phase on Monday evening, voting has been completed in 25 states and Union Territories and 428 constituencies in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Two more phases- on May 25 and June 1- are remaining now.
In the corresponding phase in the 2019 polls, the turnout was registered at 64.16 per cent when 51 seats across seven states went to polls. According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout in the fourth phase stood at 69.16 per cent, 3.65 percentage points higher than the corresponding phase in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
The updated voter turnout figures for the third phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections was 65.68 per cent. In the third phase of the 2019 elections, the turnout was 68.4 per cent. In the second phase of the 2024 elections, the turnout was recorded at 66.71 per cent as against 69.64 per cent in the second phase of the 2019 polls. In the first phase of the ongoing general elections, a 66.14 per cent turnout was recorded.In the 2019 polls, the turnout in the first phase was 69.43 per cent.
The poll panel has said the final turnout will only be available after the results, with the counting of postal ballots and its addition to the total voting percentage.
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