The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Monday recorded an estimated voter turnout of 60.48% according to data on the Election Commission’s Voter Turnout App as of Tuesday morning.
The Election Commission has not yet released the final turnout figures for the fifth phase. The polling percentage in the same seats in the 2019 elections was 62.4%, according to the Hindustan Times.
Voting took place in 49 seats across six states and two Union territories. Polling was held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 13 in Maharashtra, seven in West Bengal, five each in Bihar and Odisha, three in Jharkhand and one seat each in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The poll panel said that the provisional voter turnout in Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir was 58.17%. This is also the highest turnout recorded since 1984.
Maharashtra recorded the lowest turnout at 54.33%, while West Bengal saw the highest at 75.56%. The voter turnout in Bihar was 54.85%, Jharkhand 63%, Odisha 69.19 %, Uttar Pradesh 57.79% and Ladakh 69.92%.
The Election Commission said that the trend of urban apathy seen in the 2019 election continued this year in cities such as Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Lucknow.
In Uttar Pradesh, voting also took place in key seats like Amethi and Rae Bareli where Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are in a close fight.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting from the Rae Bareli seat, which has been a stronghold of his mother Sonia Gandhi. In Amethi, Bharatiya Janata Party MP and Union minister Smriti Irani is up against the Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma.
The voter turnout in the first phase was 66.14%, in the second phase it was 66.71%, while in the third phase, it was 65.68%. The fourth phase of voting, which took place on May 13, recorded a voter turnout of 69.16%.
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