LIVE | West Bengal leads with 73% voter turnout; Maharashtra at bottom with 49%
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray accused the ECI of delaying the poll process deliberately at the behest of the Narendra Modi govt.
Brothers Madhukar Jagtap (97), Madhav Jagtap (85) and Sadashiv Jagtap (84) show their fingers marked with indelible ink after casting their votes for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Nashik, on Monday, May 20. PTI
An approximate voter turnout of 57.51% was recorded on Monday (May 20) in 49 constituencies in six states and two Union Territories in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the Election Commission of India figures, West Bengal recorded the highest polling at 73%, followed by Ladakh with 67.15%, Jharkhand with 63% and Odisha with 60.72% turnout.
Uttar Pradesh registered a voter turnout of 57.79% followed by Bihar with 55.85%, while Maharashtra witnessed 49.01% polling. The poll panel said Baramulla seat in J&K recorded all time highest voter turnout of 59%. There are provisional figures and the turnout could go up marginally in the final data.
West Bengal saw a voter turnout of 73% across seven constituencies, according to the Election Commission data. The highest turnout was in Arambagh at 76.90%, followed by Bangaon (75.73%), Uluberia (74.50%), Hooghly (74.17%), Sreerampur (71.18%), and Howrah and Barrackpore (68.84%).
Maharashtra recorded the lowest voter turnout at 49.01%, with less than 45% polling in Mumbai South. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray blamed the administration for low voter turnout, alleging that the BJP-led ruling alliance is apprehending defeat in the state. He accused the ECI of delaying the poll process deliberately at the behest of the Narendra Modi government.
Low turnout in Mumbai
Meanwhile, a voter turnout of 47.52 per cent was recorded till 5 pm across the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai on Monday amid complaints of slow polling process, non-functional EVMs and names missing from voter rolls.
The city has a total of 99,38,621 registered voters while 116 candidates were in the fray in the six constituencies.
In Borivali, voters complained of names missing from the electoral list. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad, who is contesting from Mumbai North Central, said she was getting worrying reports from across Mumbai about people waiting for several hours in queues amid heat, and returning without casing their vote. Many people said they had never waited this long to vote before and the complaints came especially from the areas where the Opposition's MVA coalition has a strong presence, she claimed.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said he first complained to the EC about the slow pace of voting in the city, and Thackeray was blaming the Modi government only because the Opposition was staring at a defeat. Thackeray was preparing the ground to face the results on June 4, he added.
Poll violence in Bengal
Clashes broke out between BJP and TMC workers during the fifth phase of polling in West Bengal on Monday (May 20).
A local TMC leader was critically wounded when he was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons by the BJP supporters at Arambagh in Hooghly. Another clash broke out between workers of the two rival parties in which a BJP panchayat leader was injured around 25 km away in Khanakul.
There were also reports of violent confrontation at Uluberia and Salkia in Howrah district. While the nephew of a BJP local leader was attacked in Uluberia, a CPI(M) party office was ransacked in Salkia.
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"There's a cent per cent chance, and there's no doubt about it. Polling on 300 seats have already been in the first four phases, and we (BJP-led NDA) have already crossed the 270-mark. We have already got the majority, and we will easily cross the 400-mark in the remaining phases," says Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan) president Chirag Paswan
Former Maharashtra CM & Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray says, "Administration is the reason why voting is down Wherever we have lead, the machine is not properly arranged. Machines are shut down. This is a play of the Modi government. They are in fear of defeat. People are excited. They are being deliberately harassed. This is a game played by the Election Commission. Where our percentage is going to be higher, the turnout is decreasing...The Election Commission is biased. Identity cards are being asked repeatedly in certain communities. Modi government is using the Election Commission as a doormat for fear of defeat. But let the voters exercise their right to vote, the names of the relevant officials will be announced through PC, even if it is five o'clock..."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that voters are being intimidated in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli. Rahul is the Congress candidate from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat which was vacated by his mother Sonia Gandhi citing health reasons. Rahul also visited various polling booths of the constituency since the voting started on Monday morning. Party workers pointed out anomalies at some of the booths following which the Congress leader intervened and took up the matter with the poll officials.