LIVE | Lok Sabha polls: 58.34% turnout till 5 pm; violence rocks Bengal
Voting is being held in all 13 seats of Punjab and 4 of Himachal, 13 in UP, 9 in Bengal, 8 in Bihar, 6 in Odisha, and 3 in Jharkhand, in addition to Chandigarh
A voter turnout of 58.34 per cent was recorded till 5 pm on Saturday (June 1) in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls with incidents of violence between TMC and BJP supporters reported in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and complaints of EVM glitches and rigging at some booths lodged.
A turnout of nearly 67.95 per cent was recorded in Jharkhand. Uttar Pradesh logged a polling percentage of 54, West Bengal 69.89, Bihar 48.86 and Himachal Pradesh 66.56. Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 55.20 per cent till 5 pm while Chandigarh registered a voting percentage of 62.80. Odisha recorded around 62.46 per cent voting.
The turnout in the first six phases of the general election was 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent, 65.68 per cent, 69.16 per cent, 62.2 per cent and 63.36 per cent respectively.
Violence in West Bengal
Reports of violence came in from West Bengal, especially in South 24-Parganas district, where a mob stormed a booth and took away an EVM machine. Later, the machine was found in a nearby pond. Clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC, ISF and the BJP in Jadavpur constituency as both parties clashed over stopping polling agents from entering the booths.
In Sandeshkhali, clashes broke out between TMC and BJP supporters over allegations of electoral malpractices. BJP candidate Rekha Patra alleged that TMC goons stopped voters from casting their votes. The TMC made counter allegations and accused Patra and BJP goons of trying to vitiate the poll atmosphere. As both the groups came to blows on Basanti expressway, police resorted to baton charge and tear gas shelling to disperse the mob.
All you need to know about Last Phase polls
Over 10.06 crore citizens, including nearly 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women and 3,574 third gender electors are voting in this phase.
Polling is on in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three seats in Jharkhand besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies of Odisha and bypolls to six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh will also take place simultaneously.
Prominent Candidates
Other prominent candidates among the total 904 contestants in fray are Union minister Anurag Thakur, Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and actor Kangana Ranaut.
Today's voting marks the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19 and has already covered 486 Lok Sabha seats in 28 states and Union territories. The assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls. Counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the counting for the assembly polls will be held on June 2.
According to Election Commission guidelines, television channels and news outlets will be able to run exit poll data and its results on June 1 after 6.30 pm.
STATES GOING TO POLLS TODAY
UTTAR PRADESH
Constituencies going to polls: 13 of 80 (Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Robertsganj)
PUNJAB
Constituencies going to polls: All 13 (Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Firozpur, Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala)
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Constituencies going to polls: All 4 (Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Shimla)
Assembly segments due for bypolls – 6 (Gagret, Dharamsala, Barsar, Lahaul & Spiti, Kutlehar and Sujanpur)
BIHAR
Constituencies going to polls: 8 of 40 (Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Sasaram, Karakat, Jahanabad, Nalanda)
JHARKHAND
Constituencies going to polls: 3 of 11 (Rajmahal, Dumka, Godda)
ODISHA
Constituencies going to polls: 6 of 21 (Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur)
WEST BENGAL
Constituencies going to polls: 9 of 42 (Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, Kolkata Uttar)
Live Updates
- 1 Jun 2024 12:44 PM IST
West Bengal: Sporadic incidents of violence
Sporadic incidents of violence marred the seventh and finalphase of Lok Sabha polls in the nine parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal, as TMC and BJP workers clashed in various parts of violence-prone Jadavpur and Diamond Harbour constituencies.
Clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC, ISF, and the BJP in Jadavpur constituency as both parties clashed over stopping polling agents from entering the booths. A confrontation erupted in Bhangar within the Jadavpur constituency between backers of Trinamool Congress and the Indian Secular Front (ISF), with allegations of crude bombs being hurled from both sides.
Police intervention ensued, triggering protests as both factions accused each other. To quell the situation, security personnel resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the mob, recovering several crude bombs.
Angry voters of Kultuli within Joynagar constituency took drastic measures by hurling electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VV-PAT) machines into nearby waterbodies. Their actions were fuelled by feelings of electoral misconduct, reflecting their frustration over perceived voting restrictions.
The incident occurred in Ward 127 where BJP candidate Ashok Kandari levelled accusations against opposition representatives, alleging their interference with the poll proceedings.
Trinamool Congress supporters have accused the ISF of orchestrating the violence to intimidate voters. Prompt action from local law enforcement led to lathi charges and the arrest of suspects in the Polerhat area of Bhangar.
- 1 Jun 2024 10:44 AM IST
Himachal: 14.35% voter turnout till 9 am in 4 Lok Sabha seats
A voter turnout of 14.35 per cent was recorded till 9 am on Saturday in the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Himachal Pradesh.They said the Kangra parliamentary seat recorded a turnout of 13.72 per cent, Mandi 13.81 per cent, Hamirpur 14.67 per cent and the Shimla (SC) seat 15.26 per cent.Of the six assembly constituencies where bypolls are being held simultaneously, Dharamshala recorded a turnout of 12.98 per cent, Lahaul and Spiti 11.95 per cent, Sujanpur 12.59 per cent, Barsar 11 per cent, Gagret 13.18 per cent and Kutlehar 14.05 per cent. - 1 Jun 2024 10:26 AM IST
Braving icy heights: Elections at world's highest polling station
Tashigang is a tiny village perched high in the icy Himalayas at a staggering altitude of 15,256 feet. This village holds the distinction of hosting the highest polling station in the world.
Located near the India-China border, the Spiti valley is part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and the second largest in India. Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is up against the Congress's Vikramaditya Singh from the seat.
The polling station at Tashigang, serving 62 voters from Tashigang and Gete, has been made a model polling booth.
The hour-and-a-half-long journey to Tashigang, located on the other side of a mountain facing the SDM's office in Kaza, is as formidable as the landscape itself -- rugged terrain, narrow winding dirt roads and unpredictable weather.
Yet, for Prem Lal and his team of booth-level officers, the assignment carries a sense of purpose. In a place where the harsh environment shapes every aspect of life, facilitating the democratic process is both a "duty and an honour".
"I have been part of a team that conducted elections at Hikkim (also in the Spiti valley), the second-highest polling station in the country, in the past. So I have some experience," Lal said, laughing as he walked to board a white Bolero car with an electronic voting machine (EVM) in his hands.
After a brief pause, he added, "Thoda dikkat to hoga (there will be some difficulties)," acknowledging the challenges ahead, especially for those unaccustomed to such a difficult terrain with no mobile connectivity and limited power supply.
But preparations are meticulous.
"The team will get a satellite phone and runners will be deployed to relay polling data to the headquarters," Additional District Commissioner Rahul Jain told PTI. "The terrain is tough, but our teams are committed and we have made all the preparations," he added.
