E-Paper
64% turnout in Lok Sabha Phase 1 elections, most states see dip from 2019
Lok Sabha 2024 election: Polling ended for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and UTs.
Lok Sabha 2024 election: A voter turnout of 64 per cent was recorded in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in 102 constituencies amid sporadic incidents of violence, particularly in Manipur. The northeastern state of Tripura recorded the highest voter turnout with over 80 per cent polling while Bihar was at the bottom with less than 49 per cent turnout.
In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, all seats Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1) went to the polls.
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Some seats of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh also voted in the first phase. While both seats of Manipur were covered in this phase, some polling stations in the Outer Manipur constituency will vote on April 26 in the next phase.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third in the office and the poll watchers are closely observing the voting percentage since it could have a huge impact on the final results.
Bihar, where the NDA is up against the RJD-led grand alliance, recorded an average turnout of 48.50 per cent in four Lok Sabha seats – Aurangabad, Gaya (SC), Nawada and Jamui (SC) – a notable dip from the previous turnout of 53.47% in the 2019 general elections.
Tamil Nadu also witnessed a significant dip in the voting percentage vis-a-vis 2019 elections. The DMK-ruled southern state recorded nearly 66 per cent turnout as against 72.46 per cent in the last Lok Sabha elections.
In 2019, Uttarakhand recorded a 61.88 per cent turnout while this year it saw 54.04 per cent polling. Final figures will be released on Saturday after compiling data from remote polling stations in higher reaches of the state, according to additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Uttarakhand Vijay Kumar Jogdande.
In 12 seats of Rajasthan, the average voter turnout stood at 56.58 per cent, a significant decline from 2019 when 63.78 per cent polling was recorded.
About 58 per cent voter turnout was recorded on eight seats of western Uttar Pradesh. In 2019, the eight Lok Sabha seats – Saharanpur, Moradabad, Kairana, Nagina, Pilibhit, Bijnor, Rampur and Muzaffarnagar – registered 66.54 per cent turnout.
An approximate voter turnout of 56.54 per cent was recorded in Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondiya, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli-Chimur in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region. In 2019, these five Lok Sabha seats recorded 64.58 per cent polling.
A voter turnout of 66.44 per cent was recorded across six Lok Sabha seats, including high-profile Chhindwara, in Madhya Pradesh. These six Lok Sabha seats – Shahdol, Mandla (both reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates), Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara and Sidhi - saw 75.23 per cent turnout in the 2019 elections.
