4th phase witnesses over 67% voter turnout
New Delhi: The fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which took place on Monday, saw a voter participation rate of over 67 per cent. These elections encompassed 96 constituencies across 10 states and Union Territories.
West Bengal, where polling was held in eight constituencies, again recorded an impressive turnout at 78.44 per cent, the highest among states/UTs in this phase, closely followed by Andhra Pradesh (25 seats) at 78.25 per cent and Odisha (four seats) at 73.97 per cent.
The Srinagar constituency in Jammu and Kashmir saw a voter turnout of 37.98 per cent, marking the first Lok Sabha election in the Valley since the abolition of Article 370. The Election Commission (EC) noted that this was the “highest turnout in decades”.
As per the EC’s voter turnout app, the overall voting in this phase stood at 67.70 per cent. However, this figure was deemed “approximate” as data from polling stations was still being compiled.
Even after the official end of polling at 6 pm, a significant number of voters remained in line at polling stations, as per an 8 pm statement from the Election Commission.
Among other states, Bihar (five seats) recorded 57.06 per cent polling, Jharkhand (four seats) 65.31 per cent, Maharashtra (11 seats) 59.64 per cent, Telangana (17 seats) 64.87 per cent and Uttar Pradesh (13) 58.05 per cent.
A provisional voter turnout of 71.72 per cent was recorded in Madhya Pradesh (eight seats), according to election officials in Bhopal.
The overall voter turnout in the first three phases of the Lok Sabha elections was 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent and 65.68 per cent, respectively.
With the conclusion of Phase 4, polling for general elections has now been completed in 23 states/UTs and 379 Lok Sabha constituencies out of a total of 543. In addition to the Lok Sabha elections, assembly elections were also held in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, along with polling in 28 assembly seats in Odisha.
K Madhavi Latha, the BJP candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat in Telangana, who is running against AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, was booked by election authorities.
This action was taken after a video clip emerged online, allegedly showing her asking burqa-clad women voters to reveal their faces for comparison with their photo identity cards.
In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP and YSRCP accused each other of engaging in violence, particularly in the Palnadu, Kadapa, and Annamayya districts.
The YSRCP also wrote to the EC, alleging that the rival TDP violated the poll code in several assembly segments, including Vemuru, Darsi, Icchapuram, Kuppam, Macherla, Markapuram, Palakonda, and Pedakurapaudu.
On Monday, polling took place simultaneously for 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the coastal state.
The YSRCP claimed that TDP leaders had captured five polling booths in the Vemuru constituency.
A Shiva Kumar, a YSRCP leader and Tenali MLA, allegedly assaulted a voter in Tenali following a dispute, according to the police, who added that the voter retaliated.
In the Railway Kodur constituency’s Dalavaipalli village, an EVM was destroyed and cars belonging to the ruling party and TDP were damaged, a police official reported.
A TDP agent was attacked at Nakkaladinne village in the Myduruku constituency, resulting in his hospitalisation.
The YSRCP claimed that party agent Suresh Reddy was stabbed at Mandi Krishnapuram village in Chittoor’s Gudipala mandal. It also alleged that TDP supporters attacked party member B Anji Reddy at Aravallipadu in the Darsi constituency.
TDP MLC Mohammed Ahmed Shariff wrote to Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena, complaining about alleged attacks by YSRCP cadres on TDP supporters at Rentala village in Rentichintala mandal of Palnadu district.
TDP activists allegedly damaged the vehicle of senior YSRCP leader Nandigam Suresh, according to a statement from the YSRCP. It further alleged that TDP supporters attacked party member B Anji Reddy at Aravallipadu in the Darsi constituency, causing a head injury.
Meanwhile, TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu claimed that there was “no peaceful atmosphere in the state for people to exercise their franchise”.
“I severely condemn the violence reported since morning. YSRCP is implementing its plots in a concerted manner. Local police officials failed in averting violence in Macherla constituency,” he said in a post on ‘X’.
The fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in the eight parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal was marred by sporadic incidents of violence as TMC and BJP workers clashed in various areas under Birbhum and Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seats.
Around 1,700 complaints of EVM malfunction and obstruction of agents entering booths were recorded till 1 pm, the EC said, adding that the TMC, Congress, and BJP filed hundreds of complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on agents.
Two security personnel of the CISF deployed to protect West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh were injured in a stone-pelting incident at Bardhaman.
“An incident of stone-pelting on CISF SSG protectee and attack on his vehicle by some miscreants occurred at Bardhaman (WB) in which two CISF personnel sustained head injuries. The protectee was safely evacuated without the use of force,” the central paramilitary force said in a post on ‘X’.
Ghosh (59) is a ‘Y’ category protectee of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) VIP security wing called the Special Security Group (SSG).
In Nanoor under Birbhum Lok Sabha seat, BJP workers clashed with TMC activists after saffron party polling agents were allegedly stopped from entering booths.
Tension also prevailed in the Chapra area of Krishnanagar constituency as BJP workers were allegedly beaten by TMC activists. BJP candidate Amrita Roy accompanied two injured persons to Chapra police station. The TMC has denied the allegations.
In Uttar Pradesh, there were instances of poll boycotts with people in some villages of Shahjahanpur keeping away from the process to protest against the lack of roads and development.
Akbarpur parliamentary constituency recorded 57.58 per cent polling, Bahraich 57.47 per cent, Dhaurahra 64.12 per cent, Etawah 56.19 per cent, Farrukhabad 58.90 per cent, Hardoi 57.45 per cent, Kannauj 60.89 per cent, Kanpur 52.90 per cent, Kheri 64.64 per cent, Misrikh 55.78 per cent, Shahjahanpur 53.14 per cent, Sitapur 62.22 per cent and Unnao 55.33 per cent, according to EC data.
The keenly watched seats in this phase in the state include Kannauj, from where the Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded its president Akhilesh Yadav, and Kheri, from where Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son is an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, is eyeing a hat-trick.
EVM glitches were also reported in several places in Odisha. An official said 65 Ballot Units, 83 Control Units and 110 VVPATs have been replaced so far and most of the replacements were done during the mock poll exercise before starting of real voting at 7 am.
The Election Commission suspended two polling officials in Odisha for dereliction of duty, the chief electoral officer said.
In Jharkhand, security forces thwarted an attempt by Maoists to obstruct voter access to polling booths by felling a tree and blocking a road leading to remote Sonapi and Morangponga areas of West Singhbhum district.
Voting was peaceful in Srinagar where three generations of the Abdullah family cast their vote in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
“Today, people came out in large numbers to cast their votes in Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency and reaffirmed their faith in democracy and the Constitution. I commend the hard work by all the stakeholders for free, fair, peaceful and smooth conduct of the polling,” Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha said.
“I truly appreciate the enthusiasm of electors and hopeful (hope) to see historic turnout in the next two phases (in Baramulla and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies on May 20 and 25, respectively). I appeal to all to vote without fear and vote with responsibility and pride,” he said.
Polling for the next three phases in the country will be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is on June 4.
