May 26, 08:23 (IST)
Indian Lok Sabha elections: Bengal continues to see high voter turnout
West Bengal maintained its trend of high voter turnout in this election campaign, recording 79.5%. Odisha, where polls were held in six assembly constituencies and 42 parliamentary constituencies, recorded a voter turnout of 69.6%. The concerted efforts of the Election Commission to register and motivate voters, particularly those from vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG), bore fruit, with some people posing with tattoos on their fingers after casting their vote at polling stations in the coastal state. In West Bengal, sporadic violence and clashes occurred between activists of rival political parties, and there were also reports of BJP candidates vandalizing EVMs in Odisha. Haryana appeared to face urban apathy, with centres such as Gurugram and Faridabad recording around 56% voter turnout each, while the overall turnout in the state dipped to around 60.4%. Due to peak voting in the summer, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar also recorded only 54% and 55.2% voter turnout, respectively. In Jharkhand, where polling took place in four constituencies, the turnout was 63.8%. A total of 889 candidates contested in the sixth phase. With the end of the sixth phase, voting for the 2024 general elections has been completed in 486 constituencies in 28 states/union territories. Also, voting has concluded for state assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh and 105 seats in Odisha. The voter turnout figures are provisional and are likely to be revised upwards once polling stations return and updated data is captured in the Election Commission’s voter turnout app. As per laid down procedures, scrutiny of electoral documents will be conducted in the presence of candidates or their authorized polling agents on the day after the polls. A decision will also be taken whether to hold a re-poll. Depending on geographical/logistical circumstances, some polling stations will return after the polling day. An Election Commission spokesman said the commission would publish updated voter turnout figures by May 30 after review, depending on the number and dates of re-voting.
