Voting concludes for the 5th phase of Lok Sabha elections
The voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections—for 49 constituencies in six states and two union territories—recorded 47.53% voter turnout until 3:00pm. West Bengal saw the highest voter turnout at 62.72%, followed by Ladakh at 61.26% and Jharkhand at 53.90%. Maharashtra registered the lowest turnout so far with a figure of 38.77%. These numbers will go up. Sporadic instances of violence marred the voting process in several Bengal constituencies such as Barrackpore, Bongaon, Arambagh and Howrah seats.
Incidents of violence, EVM malfunctioning
Despite the Election Commission of India's assertion that voting was smooth, over 1,000 complaints were lodged by 11:00am regarding EVM malfunctioning and agents being barred from entering booths. In Arambagh seat, clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party supporters, with two live crude bombs also found in the area. BJP MP Arjun Singh, candidate from Bengal's Barrackpore, accused TMC nominee Partha Bhowmick of distributing money to encourage "hooliganism."
Key candidates, constituencies
This phase will decide the fate of some of the biggest names in the game, including the likes of Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi is contesting against the BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. Another crucial seat to keep an eye on in UP is Amethi. 2019 winner Smriti Irani is pitted against Congress loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma in this constituency.
Goyal's Lok Sabha poll debut
Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal are also in the race for Lucknow and Mumbai North seats, respectively. While Singh is seeking a third term, this Lok Sabha election will be Goyal's first in his 30-year political career. Goyal is facing the Congress's Bhushan Patil. Former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya, is also in the fray. She is contesting against the BJP's Rajiv Pratap Ruddy in Bihar's Saran constituency.
2 more phases to go
Notably, polling for 35 Assembly constituencies of the Odisha Legislative Assembly also took place simultaneously on Monday. The next and penultimate phase, comprising 58 seats, will be held on May 25. National capital Delhi and neighbouring Haryana will join in for a single-phase polling. The final phase of polling will be held on June 1 and the votes will be counted on June 4.
