The third phase of polls to 93 Lok Sabha constituencies across 11 states and Union territories on Tuesday (May 7) recorded a voter turnout of 61.78 per cent. The maximum polling was witnessed in Assam which logged a voter turnout of 75.30 per cent, followed by Goa (74.47 per cent) and West Bengal (73.93 per cent). Maharashtra recorded the lowest at 55.21 per cent, according to Election Commission. The voting percentage Gujarat was 56.91 per cent, Karnataka 68.82 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 63.67 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 57.34 per cent, , Bihar 56.55 per cent, Chhattisgarh 67.24 per cent, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 65.23 per cent. The voting started at 7 am. While the official time for voting to end is 6 pm, it went beyond the fixed polling hours to enable several voters waiting in queues at polling stations to exercise their franchise. As many as 17.24 crore people, including 8.39 crore females, were eligible to vote in this phase and 1.85 lakh polling stations manned by 18.5 lakh officials had been set up.PM Modi votes in third phase Until 6 pm a voter turnout of 55.22 per cent was recorded in 25 Lok Sabha seats of Gujarat.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who exercised their franchise the state. While Modi cast his vote at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Shah voted at a polling booth in Ahmedabad. Shah (Gandhinagar) is among the bigwigs in the fray in this phase along with Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and SP Singh Baghel (Agra). Akhilesh alleges ‘booth looting’ in UP In Uttar Pradesh, where several members of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's family are contesting, close to 55.13 per cent polling was recorded in 10 seats till 6 pm. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP workers were trying to "loot booths" in Mainpuri and people from opposition parties were being detained in police stations. Yadav cast his vote in Saifai (Etawah) in Mainpuri constituency where his wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting. Among other states, Chhattisgarh recorded 66.87 per cent polling, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 65.23 per cent, Goa 72.52 per cent, Karnataka 66.05 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh 62.28 per cent, according to the EC. Violence in West Bengal Sporadic incidents of violence marred the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in four constituencies in West Bengal as TMC, BJP and Congress-CPI(M) workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur seats. According to officials, Murshidabad registered the highest voter turnout of 76.49 per cent followed by Maldaha Dakshin (73.68 pc), Maldaha Uttar (73.30 pc), and Jangipur (72.13 pc). The TMC, BJP, and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance lodged separate complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents. In the Karimpur area of the seat, clashes were reported between the TMC and the CPI(M) supporters outside a few booths. Clashes were reported between the TMC and the Congress activists from the Domkol area. BJP candidate Dhanajoy Ghosh faced protests by TMC cadres in the Jangipur area as he tried to enter some of the booths in the constituency. 3 dead in Karnataka Queues were seen at polling booths in most Lok Sabha segments in northern districts of Karnataka. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Bhagwanth Khuba, and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge were among those who came in early to cast their votes in Karnataka. Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa along with sons B Y Raghavendra, BJP candidate from Shimoga Lok Sabha segment and B Y Vijayendra, party's state President – and daughters-in-law cast their vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. Two government officials on poll duty died in Karnataka after suffering a heart attack, sources in the Election Commission said. A 45-year-old woman polling officer – Kaushika Babariya – deployed at a polling booth in Amreli district of Gujarat, also died of a heart attack. In Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is the NCP candidate from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar were among those who cast their votes. Sharad Pawar welcomed with ‘aarti’ Sharad Pawar was welcomed with a traditional 'aarti' as he arrived at a polling booth in the Malegaon area of Baramati constituency in Pune district. Ajit Pawar and Sunetra Pawar cast their votes at a polling booth in Katewadi area of Baramati. Sunetra is pitted against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and the sitting MP from there. In Assam, people lined up in large numbers across four Lok Sabha constituencies to cast their vote. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and daughter Sukanya Sarma exercised his franchise at Amingaon in Barpeta Lok Sabha seat. ...
The third phase of polls to 93 Lok Sabha constituencies across 11 states and Union territories on Tuesday (May 7) recorded a voter turnout of 61.78 per cent. The maximum polling was witnessed in Assam which logged a voter turnout of 75.30 per cent, followed by Goa (74.47 per cent) and West Bengal (73.93 per cent). Maharashtra recorded the lowest at 55.21 per cent, according to Election Commission. The voting percentage Gujarat was 56.91 per cent, Karnataka 68.82 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 63.67 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 57.34 per cent, , Bihar 56.55 per cent, Chhattisgarh 67.24 per cent, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 65.23 per cent. The voting started at 7 am. While the official time for voting to end is 6 pm, it went beyond the fixed polling hours to enable several voters waiting in queues at polling stations to exercise their franchise. As many as 17.24 crore people, including 8.39 crore females, were eligible to vote in this phase and 1.85 lakh polling stations manned by 18.5 lakh officials had been set up.PM Modi votes in third phase Until 6 pm a voter turnout of 55.22 per cent was recorded in 25 Lok Sabha seats of Gujarat.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who exercised their franchise the state. While Modi cast his vote at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Shah voted at a polling booth in Ahmedabad. Shah (Gandhinagar) is among the bigwigs in the fray in this phase along with Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and SP Singh Baghel (Agra). Akhilesh alleges ‘booth looting’ in UP In Uttar Pradesh, where several members of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's family are contesting, close to 55.13 per cent polling was recorded in 10 seats till 6 pm. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP workers were trying to "loot booths" in Mainpuri and people from opposition parties were being detained in police stations. Yadav cast his vote in Saifai (Etawah) in Mainpuri constituency where his wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting. Among other states, Chhattisgarh recorded 66.87 per cent polling, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 65.23 per cent, Goa 72.52 per cent, Karnataka 66.05 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh 62.28 per cent, according to the EC. Violence in West Bengal Sporadic incidents of violence marred the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in four constituencies in West Bengal as TMC, BJP and Congress-CPI(M) workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur seats. According to officials, Murshidabad registered the highest voter turnout of 76.49 per cent followed by Maldaha Dakshin (73.68 pc), Maldaha Uttar (73.30 pc), and Jangipur (72.13 pc). The TMC, BJP, and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance lodged separate complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents. In the Karimpur area of the seat, clashes were reported between the TMC and the CPI(M) supporters outside a few booths. Clashes were reported between the TMC and the Congress activists from the Domkol area. BJP candidate Dhanajoy Ghosh faced protests by TMC cadres in the Jangipur area as he tried to enter some of the booths in the constituency. 3 dead in Karnataka Queues were seen at polling booths in most Lok Sabha segments in northern districts of Karnataka. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Bhagwanth Khuba, and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge were among those who came in early to cast their votes in Karnataka. Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa along with sons B Y Raghavendra, BJP candidate from Shimoga Lok Sabha segment and B Y Vijayendra, party's state President – and daughters-in-law cast their vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. Two government officials on poll duty died in Karnataka after suffering a heart attack, sources in the Election Commission said. A 45-year-old woman polling officer – Kaushika Babariya – deployed at a polling booth in Amreli district of Gujarat, also died of a heart attack. In Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is the NCP candidate from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar were among those who cast their votes. Sharad Pawar welcomed with ‘aarti’ Sharad Pawar was welcomed with a traditional 'aarti' as he arrived at a polling booth in the Malegaon area of Baramati constituency in Pune district. Ajit Pawar and Sunetra Pawar cast their votes at a polling booth in Katewadi area of Baramati. Sunetra is pitted against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and the sitting MP from there. In Assam, people lined up in large numbers across four Lok Sabha constituencies to cast their vote. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and daughter Sukanya Sarma exercised his franchise at Amingaon in Barpeta Lok Sabha seat. ...