Final phase of LS polls sees late surge, reaches 76.80% turnout

Kolkata: The overall voter turnout for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, covering nine Parliamentary constituencies (PCs), saw a significant spike of over 7 per cent in the last hour, reaching a total of 76.80 per cent. By 5 pm, the turnout was recorded at 69.49 per cent.

Basirhat Parliamentary Constituency registered the highest poll percentage of 84.31, a significant rise of nearly 8 per cent in the last hour. The voter turnout till 5 pm was 76.56 per cent. Mathurapur witnessed a voting percentage of 82.02 with an increase of nearly 8 per cent. Diamond Harbour also saw a sharp rise of nearly 8 per cent with 81.04 from 72.87 per cent.

Barasat’s final voting percentage was 80.13 while Jaynagar was 80.08 per cent, an increase from 71.80 and 73.44 per cent respectively.

Dum Dum’s final vote percentage was 73.81 rising from 67.60 per cent. The last-hour spike was the highest in Barasat with a nearly 9 per cent rise in the final hour. Urban apathy again came to the forefront in the case of Kolkata South and Kolkata North constituencies with final voter turnout showing 66.95 and 63.59 per cent respectively.

The final voter turnout for the by-elections in Baranagar held on Saturday was 73.18 per cent lower than that of the 2021 Assembly elections when the voter turnout was 73.63 per cent. According to data from the poll panel, almost all the PCs registered less voter turnout in comparison to the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly polls.

The overall percentage during 2019 and 2021 was 78.51 and 79.00 per cent respectively.

In 2019 and 2021, Dum Dum had 75.95 and 74.85 per cent polling, Barasat had 80.16 and 81.58, Basirhat had 85.42 and 87.33, Jaynagar had 82.26 and 85.12, Mathurapur 84.85 and 87.26, Diamond Harbour 81.93 and 84.45, Jadavpur 78.96 and 80.32, Kolkata South 69.65 and 67.58 and Kolkata North 65.74 and 59.81.