Voter turnout in Lok Sabha elections phase-III polling close to 2014 numbers

NEW DELHI: The 2019 Lok Sabha elections crossed the halfway mark on Tuesday with polling completed in 303 out of 543 seats. The voter turnout in the third phase, which covered 117 constituencies across 15 states, was 65.61% at 8 pm compared to 66% polling in 2014 general elections. With this round, polling has been completed in 20 states and Union Territories.
The third round of voting, which is the largest in the sevenphase general elections, is also critical to the electoral fortunes of the ruling BJP, which had won 62 of these seats in 2014.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and BJP president Amit Shah faced the ballot test at Wayanad and Gandhinagar seats, respectively, whereas the closely watched mahagathbandhan between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party was tested at Mainpuri, where SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav contested polls days after Mayawati joined him at a public rally.

As in phases I and II, voter turnout in the third phase too hovered around the 2014 numbers.

Assam recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.73% followed by West Bengal at 78.97% at 8 pm, according to Election Commission data. Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag posted a low of 13.61% amid unprecedented security in a unique election, where polling in one parliamentary constituency is spread across three phases.

Over 79% Turnout in Wayanad
Gujarat and Kerala, the two states where all seats voted in a single phase on Tuesday, recorded 63.67% and 71.67% turnout, respectively.

Wayanad, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's second seat after Amethi, had recorded a turnout of over 79%. Pilibhit, where BJP’s Varun Gandhi is in the fray, recorded voter turnout of 60.93% till 5 PM while SP bastion Mainpuri saw 53.35% turnout till 5 PM. Bihar’s Supaul seat saw a direct fight between Congress’ Ranjita Ranjan and JDU’s Dilshwar Kamat. The state recorded 59.97% turnout till 8 pm.

The third phase also featured many keenly watched contests. Rampur saw a bitter campaign between Azam Khan and Jaya Prada. Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge faced a tough election in Gulbarga while NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule was up against a resolute BJP candidate Kanchan Kul in Baramati.

Uttar Pradesh continues to see a high-stake electoral battle with a triangular fight between the SP-BSP, Congress and BJP, that could change the script of 2014 considerably across seats like Etah, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Badaun and Aonla. Of the 10 seats that voted on Tuesday, seven were with BJP in 2014.

In Odisha, voting was held in 42 assembly seats besides six Lok Sabha constituencies. Odisha cadre bureaucrat Aparajita Sarangi faced former Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik in Bhubaneshwar while BJP’s Sambit Patra was up against Supreme Court advocate and three-time BJD MP Pinaki Misra in Puri. Cuttack had former CRPF DG Prakash Mishra from BJP pitted against BJD’s five-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab.

Of the 14 constituencies that voted in Karnataka, the toughest battles were fought in Shimoga and Gulbarga. Sons of two former chief ministers of the state — Madhu Bangarappa and BY Raghavendra — are trying their luck in Shimoga while Congress’ Kharge is facing the toughest election of his life in Gulbarga.

Amid reports of a poll related death in West Bengal, the Election Commission clarified that the state election machinery had informed it was a case of personal enmity.

A case of poll boycott has been reported at a polling station in Baksa district in Assam with over 842 voters demanding better socio-economic benefits.

In the North East, five Lok Sabha constituencies, which included four in Assam and one in Tripura, went to polls. Elections were held in East Tripura seat where polling was rescheduled due to law and order concerns. The seat witnessed a turnout of 67% on Tuesday until 5 pm.