New Delhi, May 20 (Bureau) Voting process completed of 5th Phase of Lok Sabha Election throughout the country. In Bihar it seems that an estimated 55.85 percent of the 95.11 lakh electorate exercised their franchise till 6 PM covering five seats in Bihar amid tight security arrangements on Monday. In UP around 58 percent of 2.7 crore voters exercised their voting rights till 5 PM in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, a poll official said here. The fate of several stalwarts including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Smriti Irani and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), a maximum of 66.89 percent votes were polled in Barabanki, whereas Lucknow where Rajnath Singh is in the fray to take forward Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) legacy for the third consecutive time, recorded a minimum turnout of 52.03 percent votes.
In Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency returned to pre-militancy poll fervour as the constituency on Monday saw a voter turnout of 55 percent till 5 pm, the highest since 1989. The constituency is witnessing a high-stakes battle between National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, former separatist turned mainstream leader, and People’s Conference Chairman Sajad Lone and jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh popularly known as Engineer Rashid. The voting in 18 segments of Baramulla constituency – comprising the border districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara and two segments of central Kashmir’s Budgam district started at 7 am with long queues of enthusiastic voters waiting to cast their votes. The voter turnout in Baramulla Lok Sabha poll in 1996 when the first election was held following the beginning of the insurgency- was 46.7 percent. It was 38.9% in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, 39.1% in 2014, 41.8% in 2009, 35.5% in 2004, 27.8% in 1999, and 41.94% in 1998.
In West Bengal amid allegations and counter-allegations by rival parties, an estimated 73 per cent of more than 1.25 crore electorate exercised their franchise till 5 PM on Monday in the fifth phase election to seven Lok Sabha seats comprising mainly the industrial belt of West Bengal. Barring some stray incidents of preventing voters from coming to polling booths in some constituencies, overall voting was peaceful and incident-free so far. Usually Barrackpore, Arambag and Howrah are under lens as violence took place in Panchayat poll in 2023 and 2021 Assembly election. Similary in Odisha an approximate 60.55 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1700 hours in the polling held for five Lok Sabha and 35 Assembly constituencies in Odisha on Monday, Election Commission of India sources said. Around 60.55 percent of 79.62 lakh voters have exercised their franchise for the five Lok Sabha and 35 Assembly seats till 5 PM in the second phase of election in the state. Barring some sporadic minor incidents, the polling was by and large peaceful across eleven districts where the polling was going on smoothly, CEO Nikunja Bihari Dhal said.