New Delhi: Voting concluded in 49 constituencies across six states and two Union territories in phase 5 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on Monday.
Approximately 57.57 per cent turnout was recorded in the fifth phase, the Election Commission of India said. West Bengal recorded 73 per cent polling, updated till 8 pm on the Voter Turnout App of the poll panel.
The poll panel said that Bihar registered 52.82 per cent voting, Jharkhand- 63 per cent, Ladakh-67.15 per cent, Maharashtra 49.15 per cent, Odisha 60.87 percent, Uttar Pradesh 57.79 per cent, among the states that polled on Monday.
The poll panel will share another estimated turnout data at 11.45 pm.
The overall turnout in the four phases of polling so far is 66.95 percent, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI), in a statement on May 16. After registering a dip in the first three phases of elections, the voting percentage jumped in the fourth phase
The polling, which began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, took place in Uttar Pradesh (14), Maharashtra (13), West Bengal (7), Bihar (5), Odisha (5), Jharkhand (3), and one seat each in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 witnessed a contest on several high-profile seats, with many prominent minister and leaders in the fray. .
The key candidates in the fray on Monday included Rahul Gandhi (Rae Bareli, UP), Smriti Irani (Amethi, UP), Rajnath Singh (Lucknow, UP), Karan Bhushan Singh (Kaiserganj, UP, Rohini Acharya (Saran, Bihar), Chirag Paswan (Hajipur, Bihar),Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North-Central) and Omar Abdullah (Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir).
Apart from 49 Lok Sabha seats, 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha also voted on Monday. Over 8.95 crore voters including 4.69 crore men and 4.26 crore women, and 5,409 third gender electors were eligible to vote in the fifth phase today. There were over 7.81 lakh registered 85+ years old, 24,792 voters above 100 years old, too
Around 9.47 lakh polling officials were deployed at 94,732 polling stations today.
Among the Lok Sabha seats voting in phase 5 today, the BJP had won 32 seats in 2019 while its allies had won 7 seats. The saffron party bagged a vote share of more than 40 per cent in at least 30 seats.
In 2019, the Congress won just one seat – Raebareli – of the 49 seats. Its allies, including the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, had won seven seats.
Overall, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 39 seats, while the INDIA bloc parties won eight seats of the 49 constituencies voting today. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won the two remaining seats in 2019.
With voting in 49 seats being held today, the election to more than three-fourths of 543 Lok Sabha seats (428 seats) is over. The remaining two phases will be held on May 25 and June 1. Counting votes for all seven Lok Sabha Elections phases will occur on June 4.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), seeking a record third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election. The ruling alliance is challenged by the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.
