Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: At 59.06%, phase 6 records lowest voter turnout so far

An estimated voter turnout of 59.92 per cent was recorded in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday in 58 constituencies across six states and two Union territories with the polling percentage in the Jangal Mahal region of West Bengal touching 78.27.

Incidents of violence, including an alleged assault on a BJP candidate, minor clashes and protests were reported from West Bengal while there were instances of EVM malfunctioning at some places, including Delhi.

Jharkhand recorded a turnout of 63.30 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 54.03 per cent, Bihar 55.24 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 53.38 per cent, Haryana 59.43 per cent, Odisha 61.44 and Delhi 56.12 per cent, according to the figures updated at 10.30 pm by the EC on its voter turnout app.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav on Saturday held a roadshow in support of the INDIA bloc candidate from Varanasi, Ajay Rai.

Ajay Rai is the president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and is facing a huge challenge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a two time MP from Varanasi.

The roadshow was attended by a massive crowd which gathered on both sides of road.

Priyanka Gandhi also offered prayers at Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. She was accompanied by Dimple Yadav and UP Congress chief Ajay Rai.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer PK Pole said that the Union Territory recorded an overall voter turnout of 58 percent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the polling came to an end here today.

He also said that a voter turn out of approximately 53 per cent was recorded in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency polling for which was held today. With this, polling for all the five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir came to an end.

"Today voting was held for the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary Lok Sabha seat. A voter turn out of approximately 53 per cent was recorded. The highest voter turn out was recorded in Surankote assembly segment while the lowest was recorded in Kulgam Assembly segment," Pole told reporters here.

A week after Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha said his government would be following latest guidelines from centre for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ruling alliance partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) on Saturday reiterated the demand for a separate Tipraland state and said keeping the ADC outside CAA cover alone wouldn't guarantee protection of tribal interests.

In a media briefing here this evening, IPFT vice President Pradip Debbarma said, "Protection of tribals interests can't be guaranteed just by keeping the ADC outside cover of the CAA. If the CAA is implemented in non-ADC areas of the state, it will change the demographic composition of the state's population. And it will cause tribals to be further relegated to minority, tribal reserved seats in the Lok Sabha and the assembly would be lesser, less reservation benefits would be available for tribals".

However, the tribal leader thanked the central government for excluding the 6th schedule areas from the ambit of CAA and said the original version of the nation's citizenship act in 1955 didn't have any restriction against granting legal rights to anyone within the 6th schedule areas except in Assam.

"The CAA has officially mandated that no one except concerned tribal communities within the 6th schedule areas can be granted citizenship rights. We consider this our moral victory," Debbarma said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his use of the "mujra" word to target the INDIA bloc, and said no prime minister has ever used such terms for Opposition leaders in the history of the country.

She said the entire country respects the post of prime minister and it his responsibility to maintain the dignity of the post.

The prime minister has become nervous and has forgotten he is a representative of the country and of people, and such words should not have come out of his mouth, Vadra said in a joint rally in Gorakhpur with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who said the "BJP's 400-paar slogan will fall flat."

Earlier in the day, addressing rallies in neighbouring Bihar, Modi asserted he will foil opposition INDIA bloc's "plans" to rob SCs, STs and OBCs of their quota and divert these to Muslims. "They (the opposition bloc) may remain enslaved and perform 'mujra' to please their vote bank," the PM said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Yadav held the rally in support of the INDIA bloc's Gorakhpur candidate Kajal Nishad (of the SP) and Bansgaon candidate Sadal Prasad (of the Congress).

A total of 65.8 percent voting took place in the nine assembly constituencies in Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency till 7 pm on Saturday.

Earlier, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Dr Vaishali Sharma had said that the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency is expected to cross the voter turnout mark of 75 percent in the sixth phase of polling.

Dr Vaishali Sharma had said, "There are about 18 lakh voters in Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency, out of which 10 lakh voters have cast their vote which is around 57.7 percent. The highest turnout has been recorded from the Radaur assembly constituency. The women voter representation is around 40 percent. We are expecting to cross the voter turnout mark of 75 percent."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday showered praise on chief minister Yogi Adityanath and said both “riots and rioters” have been effectively curbed in Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing an election rally in eastern UP's Ghazipur, he targeted the Samajwadi Party for protecting the mafia and giving them election tickets while pitching himself as the "chowkidar (watchman)" guarding the rights of the poor and the marginalized. He also hit out at the Congress and other opposition parties for diluting the quota rights of OBCs.

“Vanchiton ka jo adhikaar hai, Modi uska chowkidaar hai (Modi is the custodian or the watchman of rights of poor, marginalised),” the prime minister said. Ghazipur was among the 16 seats that the BJP had lost in 2019 Lok Sabha polls in U.P. The constituency votes in the final phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election on June 1.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday deplored Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "mujra" jibe at the INDIA bloc, saying it was unbecoming of his high office besides showing "loss of mental balance".

Khera was addressing a press conference here at Sadaqat Ashram, the party's Bihar headquarters.

"Is this the type of language a Prime Minister is supposed to use? Starting from mutton, fish (machhli), mangalsutras and Muslims, to his latest mujra remark is making the nation a butt of ridicule.

"He has also started saying that he is not a biological human being but some divine messenger. The PM seems unaware that the world takes note of all his utterances," said Khera, who heads the media cell of the Congress.

Nearly 40 per cent of migrant Kashmiri Pandits cast their ballots in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday.

This represents a significant increase in voter turnout compared to the 2019, 2014, and 2009 elections.

The completion of voting in Anantnag-Rajouri marks the end of the electoral process in the Union Territory, with polling already concluded in its four other constituencies.

"Nearly 40 per cent polling was registered by Kashmiri migrants for the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency," Relief Commissioner Arvind Karwani told PTI.

Polling in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar—Valmiki Nagar, Pachim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Siwan and Maharajganj—passed off peacefully with around 55.45% qualified electors exercising their franchise during the 6th phase of voting on Saturday. The constituencies received around 3% less polling than that recorded in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

A total of 86 candidates, including eight women, were in the fray. Priminent among those, whose fates were sealed in the EVMs are Sanjay Jaiswal (West Champaran), sitting MP and former state BJP chief, former union minister, Radha Mohan Singh (East Champaran), Lovely Anand (Sheohar), Hina Sahab (Siwan), wife of former don-turned-politician Shahabuddin and Akash Prasad Singh (Maharajnganj), son of Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh.

"I thank all those who have voted in the penultimate phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. NDA’s numbers are looking better and better. People have realised that since INDI Alliance is coming nowhere close to power, voting for it is futile," says PM Modi.

As the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls concluded on Saturday, the Congress claimed the BJP's fate is "all but sealed" with the INDIA bloc having already crossed the halfway mark of 272 seats and is on course for a tally of over 350 seats in total.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also claimed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is set to sweep the NDA away.

"With six phases of the elections now concluded, voting for 486 seats is over. As the outgoing PM starts figuring out his retirement plans, here’s the round-up of the campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections: The BJP's fate is all but sealed. It has become clear that they are South mein Saaf, aur North, West, and East mein Half," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Mimicking the good stride of voting witnessed in Srinagar and Baramulla parliamentary seats, Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency witnessed over 51 percentage voting on Saturday, the highest since the start of militancy in Kashmir in 1989 and even before that.

Although, the constituency was changed with additional and deletion of constituencies, the polling percentage on Saturday was highest in past about four decades, after 70 percent in 1984.

“The Anantnag- Rajouri parliamentary constituency has recorded 51.88 per cent voting in all its polling stations up to 5:00 pm,” said the office of Chief Election Officer of J&K, Pandurang K Pole.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that the ongoing Lok Sabha elections are a contest between the people and Modi, the people and BJP, and the people and RSS.

"This election is people vs. Modi, people vs. BJP, and people vs. RSS. People are fighting for us and themselves. There is a high possibility of our victory. This is why I said earlier that on June 4, the INDIA bloc will form a government," Kharge said.

The Congress President made these remarks during a press conference in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla, alongside Congress MP Rajiv Shukla.

Sporadic violence marred the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Saturday even as a panchayat-level leader of the ruling-Trinamool Congress (TMC) was killed in East Midnapore district hours before polling began.

“There were reports of sporadic violence. The ECI has sought reports from the authorities concerned. There were, however, no reports of any major untoward incidents. The average voter turnout till 5 pm was 77.9%,” said a poll panel official in Kolkata.

Eight Lok Sabha seats – Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur - went into polls in the sixth phase. In 2019 the BJP had won five of the eight seats. Even though the TMC won three seats including Tamluk and Kanthi in East Midnapore these are considered as the bastion of BJP legislator Suvendu Adhikari and his family.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was defeated from Nandigram, which is a part of Tamluk Lok Sabha, in the 2021 assembly elections by Adhikari.

West Bengal registered a voter turnout of 77.99 per cent till 5 pm in the eight Lok Sabha constituencies that went to polls in the sixth phase on Saturday, an official said.

Polling began at 7 am in Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur constituencies. It would continue till 6 pm.

Bishnupur (SC) recorded the highest polling at 81.47 per cent, followed by Tamluk 79.79 per cent, Jhargram (ST) 79.68 per cent, Ghatal 78.92 per cent, Medinipur 77.57 per cent, Bankura 76.79 per cent, Kanthi 75.66 per cent, and Purulia 74.09 per cent, he said.

Till 4 pm, the election office in West Bengal has received 1,985 complaints, he added.

A voter turnout of 55.93 per cent was recorded in Haryana till 5 pm in its 10 Lok Sabha seats and polling remained peaceful on Saturday, officials said.

Polling ended at 6 pm but the turnout figure will increase as there were several people in queues waiting for their turn.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the overall poll percentage stood at 70 per cent.

Voting was also held for the bypoll to the Karnal assembly seat where Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated by his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar's resignation.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday cast his vote in the New Delhi constituency in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

The CJI arrived at the polling station along with his wife Kalpana Das.

"Today I fulfilled my duty as a citizen (of the country) by casting my vote. I had said this earlier that this is a major responsibility of every citizen," Justice Chandrachud said.

Odisha recorded 59.60 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm in the six Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 assembly segments on Saturday, officials said.

Voting was held in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri parliamentary constituencies along with 42 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik walked to the Aerodrome Upper Primary School near his residence here to cast his vote. "We will form a stable government in the state," he told reporters.

Odisha's chief electoral officer N B Dhal said voting was peaceful so far in the 10,581 polling stations, barring some reports of EVM glitches.

Six persons including four women suffered minor injuries in a clash between supporters of two candidates outside a polling station in Mendhar sub-division in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Saturday, officials said. However, the voting at the polling station in the Shahpur sector continued without any disruption as police intervened and separated the clashing groups, they said. An FIR was registered by police and further investigation is on, the officials said. Poonch is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency where polling is underway in the sixth phase on Saturday. "It is hereby clarified that a minor scuffle took place outside the polling station causing very minor injuries to a few persons.

From employment, inflation, better roads infrastructure, clean drinking water, women safety, education, health care services to corruption free India -- myriad of issues dominated the minds of voters when they stepped out to exercise their franchise.

The seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi went to polling on Saturday.

A two way fight between the BJP and an alliance between the Congress and the AAP as part of the INDIA bloc is being played out in the capital.

Visuals from the polling booths showed people of all ages flocking the centres while braving the sweltering heat in the city to exercise their right.

"I feel proud to have carried out my democratic duty. I was the first voter in my booth and also was given a certificate by the District Election officer as a mark of appreciation," said Sunil Kumar Jha, who was the first one to cast his booth in New Delhi constituency's Gole Market.

A voter turnout of 61.41 per cent was recorded till the end of polling in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand at 5 pm on Saturday, officials said.

Voting, which commenced in Giridih, Dhanbad, Ranchi and Jamshedpur constituencies at 7am as part of the third phase of elections in the eastern state and sixth round nationwide, was peaceful.

Giridih registered the highest polling at 64.75 per cent, followed by Jamshedpur (64.30 per cent), Dhanbad (58.90 per cent) and Ranchi (58.73 per cent).

"Today, I exercised my right to vote at Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration, Ranchi. I urge all voters to exercise their right to vote. Ensure your participation in this great festival of democracy," Governor C P Radhakrishnan said in a post on X.

The RJD on Saturday reacted sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that opposition parties were performing "mujra" for the Muslim vote bank.

Modi had made the remark at an election rally in the Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency of Bihar earlier in the day.

"After machhli (fish), mutton and mangalsutra, it is now the turn of 'mujra'. Does it behove the prime minister of the country to speak such language? He has torn norms of civil discourse to shred," RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha told PTI video.

Modi made the stinging remark while accusing the INDIA bloc of snatching reservations meant for Dalits and OBCs to divert these to "Muslims" who were carrying out a "vote jihad" in the elections.

Jha dismissed the charge claiming that "backward classes of Muslims have been getting reservations even in Gujarat", where the BJP has been in power for decades, with Modi himself as chief minister for three consecutive terms.

57.7% voting recorded till 5pm, highest in Bengal with 77.9%