NEW DELHI, May 20: Over 59 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Monday in 49 constituencies in six States and two Union Territories in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
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There were sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal, besides EVM glitches at some booths in the State and neighbouring Odisha and complaints of slow voting in Maharashtra.
West Bengal recorded the highest polling percentage at 73.14, while Maharashtra recorded the lowest at 53.51 per cent, with six Lok Sabha constituencies of Mumbai witnessing voting between 46 per cent to around 54 per cent per cent. Thane recorded a turnout of 49.81 per cent, according to the EC’s voter turnout app.
The EC had on Sunday flagged urban voter apathy in Mumbai, Thane and Lucknow and had urged people to come out and vote.
Among other states, Bihar recorded 53.78 per cent turnout, Jharkhand 63.06 per cent, Odisha 62.23 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 57.79 per cent and Ladakh 68.47 per cent. The figures, the EC said, were “approximate trend” as data was still being collated.
According to the figures made available by the Election Commission around 10 pm, the approximate polling percentage was 59.06.
The last four phases have registered a total voter turnout of 66.95 per cent. With the end of polls in the fifth phase, voting has been completed in 25 states and Union Territories and 428 constituencies out of 543 in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Two more phases — on May 25 and June 1 — are remaining now. Counting of votes is on June 4.
Scattered incidents of violence marred the polls in seven Parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal where TMC and BJP workers clashed in various parts of Barrackpore, Bongaon, and Arambagh seats.
Till 4.30 pm, the State CEO’s office received 1,913 complaints in connection including those related to EVM malfunctioning and polling agents being stopped from entering booths, an election official said.
Clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC and BJP in the Khanakul area of the Arambagh constituency.
In neighbouring Hooghly constituency, BJP sitting MP and party candidate Locket Chatterjee faced protests from TMC activists led by TMC MLA Ashima Patra. A huge police and central forces contingent was rushed to the spot.
Violence was also reported from various parts of the Howrah constituency.
In the Liluah area of Howrah, the BJP accused TMC workers of “booth jamming” leading to clashes between groups. The central police forces rushed to the area and dispersed them.
In Bongaon constituency’s Gayeshpur area, local BJP leader Subir Biswas was allegedly beaten by TMC supporters outside a booth. He was later shifted to the hospital.
In the Kalyani area of the same constituency, Union Minister and BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur caught a person using the identity card of his rival TMC candidate Biswajit Das inside a polling booth.
The person was later removed from the booth by central forces.
TMC workers also held protests in some areas following allegations that central forces were assisting BJP workers in “intimidating” voters at some booths of Hooghly.
In Uttar Pradesh, Amethi recorded a voter turnout of 54.17 per cent, Lucknow 52.03 per cent Rae Bareli 57.85 per cent, Banda 59.49 per cent, Barabanki 66.89 per cent, Faizabad 58.96 per cent, and Fatehpur 56.90 per cent.
Gonda recorded 51.45 per cent voting, Hamirpur 60.36 per cent, Jalaun 53.44 per cent, Jhansi 63.57 per cent, Kaisarganj 55.47 per cent, Kaushambi 52.60 per cent, and Mohanlalganj 62.53 per cent, according to the Election Commission.
The polling percentage in the Lucknow East assembly constituency was around 52.25 per cent.
“There was no violence anywhere in the State. About 250 complaints regarding slow voting and EVMs were received by the EC,” according to Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa.
In three booths in the Jhansi constituency in Lalitpur district, 100 per cent of polling was reported.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is in the fray from Rae Bareli which was represented by his mother and former party president Sonia Gandhi earlier, visited different polling booths in the constituency and posed for pictures with local residents. He also interacted with Congress booth workers in Bachhrawan and visited a Hanuman temple in Churuva.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (Lucknow), Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani (Amethi), Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishor (Mohanlalganj), Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Fatehpur) and Union Minister of State for MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (Jalaun) are among those in the fray in seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati was among the early voters in Lucknow.
“I have voted and I appeal to all voters to exercise their franchise,” she said.
In Maharashtra, Mumbai residents faced delays, slow-paced voting process and long queues amid sultry weather conditions, with Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress raising concern.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed a press conference where he accused the EC of delaying the poll process deliberately at the behest of the Modi government.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said he first complained to the EC about the slow pace of voting in the city and claimed Thackeray was blaming the Modi government only because the opposition was staring at a defeat.
Thackeray was preparing the ground to face the results on June 4, Fadnavis added
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also claimed there were a lot of complaints from electors about facilities outside polling booths.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Sunil Raut were found involved in “corrupt practices” outside their polling booth at Bhandup in Mumbai.
The former MP also claimed that two activists of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) were arrested for “illegal and corrupt practices of using a fake EVM”.
However, MLA Sunil Raut, who is the brother of Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, dismissed the allegations saying a dummy electronic voting machine (EVM) was kept outside the 100-metre radius of the polling booth for educational purposes.
Still, the police removed it under “political pressure”, he claimed.
Politicians, sportspersons and prominent persons from the financial sector exercised their franchise at polling booths in different parts of Mumbai and neighbouring Thane.
In Odisha, some unidentified persons allegedly hacked an auto-rickshaw driver to death near Sarsara in Bargarh district. The deceased was carrying some voters to the polling booth. While the family members claimed it was a political murder, police say personal enmity is the reason behind the crime.
EVM glitches were also reported at some places in Odisha.
Jharkhand saw a voter turnout of 63 per cent in the Lok Sabha election.
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