61% Voter turnout in 6th phase

NEW DELHI,

AN ESTIMATED voter turnout of 61.11 per cent was recorded in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on Saturday in 58 constituencies across six States and two Union Territories, with the polling percentage in the Jangal Mahal region of West Bengal touching 79.4. Incidents of violence, including an alleged assault on a BJP candidate, minor clashes and protests were reported from West Bengal while there were instances of EVM malfunctioning at some places, including Delhi. Jharkhand recorded a turnout of 63.76 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 54.03 per cent, Bihar 55.24 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 54.15 per cent, Haryana 60.06 per cent, Odisha 69.32 and Delhi 57.67 per cent, according to the figures updated at 11:45 pm by the EC on its voter turnout app. The EC said polling percentage in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat in J&K is the highest in 40 years. With the conclusion of this phase, polling is now complete in 486 seats in 28 States and Union Territories. The last of the seven phases of polling in 57 seats is scheduled on June 1 and counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

With large parts of India sweltering under a heatwave, arrangements for cold water, coolers, fans and tents were made at several polling stations. Wheelchairs were also kept for the assistance of elderly voters. The EC had directed election officials and State machineries to take adequate measures to manage the adverse impact of hot weather. Over 11.13 crore voters - 5.84 crore male, 5.29 crore female and 5120 third gender - were eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase. The Election Commission (EC) deployed around 11.4 lakh polling officials at 1.14 lakh polling stations. In the national capital, President Droupadi Murmu, Union Ministers S Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Minister Atishi and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were among those who cast their votes.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat alleged she had to wait for almost an hour to cast her vote as the battery of the EVM control unit at her polling booth “drained out”. The District Election Officer later said the battery was replaced within 15 minutes. Besides all the seven seats of Delhi, polling was held in 14 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, all 10 seats in Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, six seats in Odisha, four seats in Jharkhand and one seat in Jammu and Kashmir. Simultaneously, polling was being held for 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and the Karnal Assembly by-poll in Haryana.