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Maharashtra Lok Sabha polls: 52.49% voter turnout till 5 pm; Nandurbar records highest voting percentage
Lok Sabha elections: Union minister Raosaheb Danve, BJP leader Pankaja Munde and actor-turned-politician Amol Kolhe are among the prominent candidates
Maharashtra recorded an overall voter turnout of 52.49 per cent till 5 pm in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Nandurbar recorded the highest turnout of 60.60 percent among the 11 constituencies that went to elections.
On the other hand, Jalna saw 58.85 percent turnout until 5 pm. Beed witnessed 58.21 percent polling, followed by Raver at 55.36 percent among others.
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Here is the voting percentage of each of the 11 constituencies in Maharashtra that voted on Monday.
| CONSTITUENCY | VOTING PERCENTAGE |
|---|---|
| JALGAON | 51.98 |
| JALNA | 58.85 |
| NANDURBAR | 60.60 |
| SHIRUR | 43.89 |
| AHMEDNAGAR | 53.27 |
| AURANGABAD | 54.02 |
| BEED | 58,21 |
| MAVAL | 46.03 |
| PUNE | 44.90 |
| RAVER | 55.36 |
| SHIRDI | 52.27 |
During the voting in the day, Congress' Pune unit chief Arvind Shinde alleged bogus voting.
"I went to Saint Meera school for voting, but my name was already ticked off on the list, and I was told voting was already done in my name. Someone had signed next to my name," he was quoted by PTI as saying.
Shinde claimed he filled up necessary forms and was allowed to vote on ballot paper, adding he had raised a complaint online.
Union minister Raosaheb Danve, BJP leader Pankaja Munde and actor-turned-politician Amol Kolhe are among the prominent candidates.
A total of 298 candidates are in the fray, with Beed having the highest number of 41 candidates and Nandurbar the lowest number at 11. Altogether, 2.28 crore voters are eligible to participate in the fourth phase of the election in the state.
ALSO READ: Uttar Pradesh records nearly 58% polling in phase 4 of Lok Sabha elections
They comprise 1.18 crore men, 1.09 crore women, and 1,272 third-gender voters. In the 11 constituencies, there are 23,284 polling centres, 83 of which are deemed critical. Voting is underway using 53,959 ballot units, 23,284 control units, and 23,284 VVPAT machines, the official said.
The BJP has renominated Danve from Jalna constituency and Sujay Vikhe Patil in Ahmednagar and fielded former state minister Pankaja Munde from Beed.
ALSO READ: Telangana Lok Sabha polls phase 4: Voter turnout crosses 61.16%
Actor Amol Kolhe is the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate from the Shirur Lok Sabha seat in the Pune district. NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonavane, Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel and Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve cast their votes in their constituencies. It is BJP versus Congress in Jalna and the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) versus Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Aurangabad.
In Beed, the BJP has fielded former state minister Pankaja Munde instead of sitting MP and her younger sister Pritam Munde. Pankaja's main rival is Bajrang Sonawane of the NCP (SP).
In Shirur, sitting MP Kolhe of the NCP (SP) is pitted against Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, who is contesting on the NCP ticket. After Baramati in Pune district, Shirur is another prestige battle for Ajit Pawar, who has publicly stated that he wants to ensure the defeat of Kolhe.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after 80 in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 48 seats, polling culminated in 24 in the first three phases of elections on April 19, April 26 and May 7.
(With PTI inputs)
