Amidst the hostile weather conditions, the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday saw a further dip in the voting percentage which recorded 61.81 per cent voter turnout when compared to 66.14 per cent in the first phase followed by 66.71 per cent in the second.
Comparatively, in the 2019 elections, these same 93 seats collectively recorded an overall turnout of 67.33 per cent. The third phase failed to buck the trend amid hot weather and heatwave in the polling States. Experts and political parties attributed the decline to heatwave and voters' apathy.
The stakes are high for the BJP in this round as it had won an overwhelming majority of these seats, including all in Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, in the last election. Fate of candidates for more than half of the 543 Lok Sabha has been sealed while four phases still remain for the counting to be done on June 4. Voting has been completed in 283 seats out of 543 seats so far.
Except sporadic incidents of violence in four constituencies in West Bengal, the polling in 10 States and Union Territories has been peaceful.
Five States — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka — have wrapped up their polling in phase three.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Electoral Officer for Gujarat, P Bharathi, industrialist Gautam Adani were among the early voters to cast their vote. Modi urged people to vote in record numbers and said their active participation will make the election more vibrant.
While the BJP has already declared a win in Surat Lok Sabha seat as unopposed, stakes are significant for the BJP and its allies, which had, in 2019, won 75 of the 93 seats. INDIA Bloc parties had won only 11. Four seats had gone to the undivided Shiv Sena, two were won by independents, and one by the AIUDF.
As per the EC's voter turnout app (till 8 pm), Assam witnessed the highest voter turnout of 75.30 per cent followed by West Bengal at 73.93 per cent, while Maharashtra witnessed the lowest at 55.21 per cent, with Bihar doing slightly better at 56.55 per cent and Gujarat at 56.88 percent.
Chhattisgarh recorded 67.24 per cent, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu 65.23 per cent, Goa 74.47 per cent Karnataka 68.75 per cent and Madhya Pradesh. According to the Election Commission, the figures are an "approximate" trend and are likely to rise as data is being collected.
In Uttar Pradesh, Agra witnessed 51.53 per cent polling, Aonla 54.73 per cent, Budaun 52.77 per cent, Bareilly 54.21 per cent, Etah 57.07 per cent, Fatehpur Sikri 54.93 per cent, Firozabad 56.27 per cent, Hathras 53.54 per cent, Mainpuri 55.88 per cent and Sambhal 61.10 per cent. "The polling was held smoothly and peacefully in all States/UTs across the three phases which covered the entire North Eastern part of the country, Left Wing Extremists affected and vulnerable areas in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh," the EC said in a statement.
During the third phase polling, 13 people were injured when swarms of bees attacked them in two separate polling booths of two constituencies in north Chhattisgarh. Eight people were injured in Aara village under Raigarh Lok Sabha constituency and five at Jawaharnagar under Surguja Lok Sabha constituency.
The first vote for the election to Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency was cast by Ali Mohammad Rather, a visually impaired person, under the Election Commission's new home voting facility.
In Karnataka's Kapalapur village in Bidar district, a 110-year-old Gattigitti Lakshmibai reached a polling station along with her son and grandson to cast her vote while 100-year-old Gurama exercised her franchise in Sindbandagi village. In many polling stations, the elderly reached in wheelchairs.
