LIVE | Phase 3 of Lok Sabha polls records 61.78% voter turnout
The highest polling was recorded in Assam (75.30 per cent) while Maharashtra at 55.21 per cent accounted for the lowest voter turnout
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.
People used all modes of transport, including boats, to reach the polling stations across Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar constituencies to exercise their democratic franchise amid rain.
Over 1,300 candidates, including around 120 women, are in the fray in the third phase.
Voting was completed in 189 seats out of 543 seats in the first two phases. The next four phases will be on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is on June 4.
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Live Updates
- 7 May 2024 11:36 AM IST
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's tweet translated: "Dear countrymen, this election is to save the country's democracy and constitution. This is an election to defeat historic unemployment, rampant inflation, institutional corruption and economic crisis. Your every vote is important. Vote in large numbers, using your discretion and thinking. Vote for your and your children's future. India will unite, India will win."
- 7 May 2024 11:35 AM IST
Rahul Gandhi's tweet translated: "Today is the third phase of voting! I request all of you to come out in large numbers and vote to protect your rights. Remember, this is not an ordinary election, it is an election to protect the democracy and constitution of the country."
- 7 May 2024 11:17 AM IST
“No doubt” Congress will win most of Karnataka seats: Kharge
After casting his vote in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the grand old party will register a thumping majority in the state and that there “was no doubt” about it.
The 81-year-old Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha was accompanied by his wife Radhabai Kharge to a polling booth at Basavanagara.
While speaking to reporters here, he said, “Things are good; good reports are coming from everywhere. Alliance partners (INDI Alliance) are getting strength in this third phase (nationally). Definitely in this phase too we will get good support from the people,” he added.
Kharge said that he has been voting from Basavanagara in Kalaburagi since he became eligible for voting at the age of 21 (It is now 18).
“I never got it (polling locality) changed. When I became Minister, when I became opposition leader, KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) President, opposition leader in Parliament, I have never forgotten Basavanagara,” he said.
“People here have given me love and affection, they really developed my leadership. I'm grateful to the poor people, who stood with me. I'm with them,” he added.
Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani is the Congress candidate from Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Lok Sabha segment, which the Congress veteran represented twice (2009, 2014), but lost in 2019.
- 7 May 2024 11:13 AM IST
At 6.64%, Maharashtra records lowest turnout till 9 am
A voter turnout of 6.64 per cent was recorded till 9 am as polling was underway in 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra during the third phase of the general elections.
Latur recorded 7.91 per cent polling, Sangli 5.81 per cent, Baramati 5.77 per cent, Hathkanangale 7.55 per cent, Kolhapur 8.04 per cent, Madha 4.99 per cent, Osmanabad 5.79 per cent, Raigad 6.84 per cent, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg 8.17 per cent, Satara 7 per cent and Solapur 5.92 per cent.
Among the early voters included state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is the NCP candidate from Baramati, and his mother Asha Pawar.
They cast their votes at a polling booth in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Pune district.
Sunetra Pawar is pitted against Supriya Sule, the sitting MP from Baramati.
NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, his wife Pratibha, daughter Supriya Sule and her family, MLA Rohit Pawar and his family also voted in Baramati.
Actor couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh cast their votes in Latur, while Union minister Narayan Rane voted in Sindhudurg.
Ritesh Deshmukh is the son of Congress leader and former state chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Rane is the BJP candidate from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat.
Prominent contestants also include royal scions Shahu Chhatrapati of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara.
- 7 May 2024 11:12 AM IST
12.94% votes polled in UP till 9 am
About 12.94 per cent voters cast their vote in the first two hours of polling for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
While Sambhal witnessed 14.71 per cent polling, Hathras (SC) recorded 13.43 per cent, Agra (SC) 12.74 per cent, Fatehpur Sikri 14 per cent, Firozabad 13.36 per cent, Mainpuri 12.18 per cent, Etah 13.16 per cent, Budaun 12.89 per cent, Aonla 11.42 per cent and Bareilly 11.59 per cent till 9 am, according to the EC.
Prominent among those who cast votes are SP's Dharmendra Yadav in Saifai, BJP candidates SP Singh Baghel and Parmeshwar Lal Saini in Agra and Sambhal respectively.
- 7 May 2024 10:56 AM IST
13.24% votes polled in Chhattisgarh till 9 am
A voter turnout of 13.24 per cent was recorded till 9 am in seven of the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh where polling was underway in the third and last phase of elections in the state, a poll official said.
Polling is being held in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Korba, Janjgir-Champa (reserved for SC), Surguja (reserved for ST) and Raigarh (ST) seats in the third phase.
“Polling in the seven Lok Sabha constituencies started at 7 am. Till 9 am, 13.24 percent polling has been registered. Polling is underway smoothly and peacefully,” the official said.
Long queues of voters were seen at polling booths in some of the seats.
Chhattisgarh's Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao was among the early voters. He exercised his franchise at a polling booth in Bilaspur town.
State minister OP Choudhary cast his vote in Raigarh district and Congress candidate (Surguja seat) Shashi Singh at Shivpur village in Surajpur district.
State's Chief Electoral Officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale voted at Dharampura polling booth and Additional Chief Electoral Officer Nilesh Kshirsagar at Amlidih polling booth in Raipur.
