High turnout in 2nd phase of voting in UP

In east UP's badlands, known for mafia dons and low voting percentages, people again sprung a surprise, with 59% of the electorate casting their vote on Saturday, keeping up the tempo of the first phase which saw a record 62% polling.
Such high voting in the region - a stronghold of the ruling BSP -- is likely to upset old equations and has left parties jittery and trying to read the implications of the long queues in this communally sensitive zone. Polling took place in 59 constituencies across nine districts.
With polling still continuing at some booths till 7 pm, tentative polling figures of 59%, UP's Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said, could rise marginally.
Polling started at a brisk pace - over 7% had cast their vote by 9 am --and the trend continued till the end. In the same region, only 43.41% had voted in 2007. So, 59% polling on Saturday means about a 36% increase in the poll percentage in this phase, which is, in fact, higher than the jump in the first phase which saw 62% polling compared with 46% in 2007, an increase of 33%.
The nine districts of Purvanchal (east UP) which went to polls in the second phase are Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia and Ghazipur. Caste and communal factors played a major role in the elections in this region.