An average voter turnout of 51.93 percent was recorded till 3 pm on Monday in Uttar Pradesh as polling for the second phase of the assembly election picked up pace after a slow start.

Additional Chief Election Officer Brahma Dev Ram Tiwari said polling in the state has been peaceful so far.

Voting kicked off in 55 assembly seats spread across nine districts at 7 AM. The first two hours saw few voters at polling booths owing to fog and cold conditions. But as the day progressed, more and more voters stepped out of their homes to exercise their franchise.

As many as 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase in 55 seats spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur districts.

According to the Election Commission, Saharanpur recorded a voter turnout of 56.70 percent till 3 PM, Bijnor 51.79 percent, Moradabad 56.04 percent, Sambhal 49.11 percent, Rampur 52.74 percent, Amroha 60.06 percent, Budaun 47.72 percent, Bareilly 50.18 percent and Shahjahanpur 46.86 percent.

These districts had recorded an average turnout of 65.53 percent in 2017 assembly polls and 63.13 percent in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

A turnout of 62.4 percent was recorded in the first phase of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on February 10.

Asked by reporters about a tweet by the Samajwadi Party alleging that a person voted for the SP, but the vote went to the lotus symbol (BJP) at a polling booth in Behat in Saharanpur, Tiwari said, "Teams were sent to the booth, but the information was found to be false."

He also said that the Election Commission has taken cognisance of complaints that members of the Yadav community were allegedly not allowed to cast their votes.

A team has been sent there and action will be taken in this regard, the official said.

On UP BJP leader JPS Rathore alleging fake voting by burqa-clad women, Tiwari said, "A report has been sought from the district magistrate, and so far, there is no truth in this."

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders appealed to the people to vote in large numbers in the state, as well in Goa and Uttarkahand, two states where single-day polling is being held to elect their assemblies.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, who stayed away from campaigning, appealed to voters to support the party.

"I appeal that you lend your valuable support to the Samajwadi Party to help it win with a huge mandate," Yadav, who is in Delhi, said in a brief video message.

This was the 83-year-old leader's first election-related message to voters in this poll campaign. Earlier, he had addressed party workers in Lucknow.

Of the 55 seats in which voting is being held in the second phase, the BJP had won 38 in the 2017 Assembly polls, the SP bagged 15 and the Congress two.

The SP and the Congress had contested the last assembly elections together.

Of the 15 seats won by the SP, Muslim candidates registered victory in 10.

The areas going to the polls in this phase have a sizeable Muslim population influenced by religious leaders of Barelvi and Deoband sects. These areas are considered strongholds of the SP.

The prominent faces in the fray include former minister Dharam Singh Saini who joined the SP shortly before the elections. Saini is trying his luck from the Nakur seat.

Senior SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan is contesting the polls from his stronghold Rampur, while Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna is contesting from Shahjahanpur.

The SP has fielded Mohammad Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam from the Swar seat. He is pitted against Haider Ali Khan, the heir of the Nawabs of Rampur, who is trying his luck on a ticket from the Apna Dal (Sonelal), a BJP ally.

Haider Ali Khan is the grandson of former MP Noor Bano.

Minister of State for Jal Shakti Baldev Singh Aulakh is contesting from Bilaspur, Minister of State for Urban Development Mahesh Chandra Gupta from Badaun and Minister of State for Secondary Education Gulab Devi from Chandausi.

Former Bareilly mayor Supriya Aron is contesting from Bareilly Cantonment on an SP ticket.

The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.