Nearly 62% voting in last phase of Lok Sabha poll
Animesh Singh
New Delhi, June 1
Curtains came down on polling for all 543 Lok Sabha seats as the seventh phase of voting for the remaining 57 seats across eight states and UTs ended on Saturday evening. Several incidents of violence were reported from West Bengal.
Till 11.50 pm, the turnout in the seventh phase was 62 per cent, with West Bengal recording the highest turnout of 73.47 per cent, followed by Jharkhand (70.66 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (68 per cent). Chandigarh recorded a turnout of 67.90 per cent.
Among the states which registered the lowest turnout were Bihar with 51.92 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 55.59 per cent and Punjab 61.32 per cent.
The turnout for these 57 seats in 2019 was 65.2 per cent. The overall turnout for the 2019 General Election was 69.5 per cent, while for the 2014 poll, it was 66.4 per cent. Thirteen seats each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and the lone Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh went to the polls today.
Violence marred polling on nine seats of West Bengal, with clashes breaking out between TMC and BJP supporters in Sandeshkhali over allegations of electoral malpractices. BJP candidate Rekha Patra alleged that TMC workers stopped people from voting. The TMC accused Patra and BJP “goons” of trying to vitiate the atmosphere. The police resorted to baton-charge and tear gas shelling to disperse a mob.
In Odisha, 42 Assembly constituencies had gone to the polls simultaneously with the parliamentary elections in the seventh phase. With the conclusion of the seventh phase, elections to the state assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have culminated.
Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha seats and Assembly constituencies of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha is scheduled on June 4. The counting of votes for the state assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will take place on June 2.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to people who voted in the elections.
“India has voted! A heartfelt thank you to all those who exercised their franchise. Their active participation is the cornerstone of our democracy. Their commitment and dedication ensures that the democratic spirit thrives in our nation. I would also like to specially appreciate India’s Nari Shakti and Yuva Shakti. Their strong presence at the polls is a very encouraging sign,” Modi said in a series of posts on X.
