NEW DELHI: The first day of mammoth elections in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, concluded peacefully on Saturday with about 64 per cent of the 26 million eligible voters casting their ballots, the Election Commission said. In the first round of a seven-stage voting process, the commission said the turnout in the 73 constituencies of the state legislative assembly, located in western Uttar Pradesh, was provisional and could go up after a final count. The legislature has 404 seats. It is the highest turnout recorded in the primarily rural state in elections so far. Saturday’s balloting was held in 15 districts, including areas bordering Delhi and the city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal. There were no reports of major violence, according to an official at the Election Commission control room. The brother of a candidate was arrested for carrying a pistol inside a polling booth. The state is known for political violence and clashes between religious and caste-based communities.
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