Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 7 Voting Highlights: The final phase of the marathon Lok Sabha elections concluded with an approximate voter turnout of 62.36 per cent, marking the end of the electoral process for the 18th Lok Sabha. The seventh phase witnessed clashes between TMC and BJP supporters in Sandeshkhali and other parts of West Bengal. A total of constituencies, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting for a third consecutive term, went to polls across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. According to the Election Commission’s voter-turnout app, the estimated polling percentage for the last phase was 62.36 per cent, surpassing the 61 per cent recorded in the corresponding phase during the 2019 parliamentary polls. The results will be declared on June 4.
The voting for the final phase took place amidst severe heatwave conditions in all 13 seats of Punjab and four seats in Himachal Pradesh, along with constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chandigarh. Simultaneously, polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls for six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh were also conducted.
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 7 Voting Highlights: Final phase polling for Lok Sabha election across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chandigarh. PM Modi seeks re-election from Varanasi.
Polling for the 7th phase of general elections has concluded with over 58% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm. The counting of votes will commence on June 4 and the results will be announced on the same day.
A voter turnout of 58.34 per cent was recorded till 5 pm on Saturday in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls with incidents of violence between TMC and BJP supporters reported in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and complaints of EVM glitches and rigging at some booths lodged.
Polling is underway in seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for 57 constituencies, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.
Voting is being held amid a severe heatwave in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh are also taking place simultaneously.
Saturday's voting will mark the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. (PTI)
Residents of Makhan, Chachul, and Juri villages in Churah subdivision of Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district boycotted the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, demanding road connectivity to their villages. The residents of Makhan and Chachul in Sanval gram panchayat and Juri in Charda gram panchayat declared they would not vote until their grievances were addressed by the district administration.
"We will not vote until the district administration comes here and listens to our grievances," said Ravi, a local resident. The villagers expressed their frustration, stating that despite informing the administration of their issues, nothing had changed.
"We are still waiting for internet connectivity, road, and electricity," said Mukesh Kumar of Makhan village. "The situation is so pathetic that if someone falls ill, we have to carry the patients on foot for 4-5 km to reach the health centre, and several people have died as they could not get treatment on time."
Kumar lamented that even after 76 years of Independence, their village still lacks basic facilities like roads. He mentioned that there are about 900 voters in the booth catering to the two villages. Despite gathering in large numbers outside polling booth No. 25 in Makhan village, the villagers, including both men and women, refused to vote. (PTI inputs)
Over 400 people in a village in Dumka district boycotted voting in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday to protest against the construction of a coal dumping yard, an official said.
A total of 426 voters did not exercise their franchise at booth number 94 in Bagdubhi village, a part of the Dumka Lok Sabha constituency, he said.
“Out of 430 voters enrolled in the booth, only four electors have exercised their franchise till 3 pm,” Dumka Circle Officer Amar Kumar told PTI.
He said the villagers have been protesting against the construction of the Railways' coal dumping yard.
Sub-divisional Officer Ajay Kumar held a meeting with the villagers and assured them of raising the issue with higher authorities. However, they did not agree to vote.
(PTI)
Uttar Pradesh recorded a polling percentage of 46.83% by 3 PM as voting for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha election proceeded on Saturday, the Election Commission (EC) reported. Polling is taking place in 13 constituencies, including Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.
Besides Varanasi, the other constituencies voting are Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon (SC), Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, and Robertsganj (SC). A total of 144 candidates -- 134 men and 10 women -- are contesting.
According to the EC, the polling percentages till 3 PM are: Ballia 43.54%, Bansgaon 43.71%, Chandauli 51.27%, Deoria 47.32%, Ghazipur 46.13%, Ghosi 44.82%, Gorakhpur 44.69%, Kushinagar 48.33%, Maharajganj 51.16%, Mirzapur 48.81%, Robertsganj 47.15%, Salempur 43.48%, and Varanasi 48.38%. (PTI)
A voter turnout of 58.46 percent was recorded by 3 PM on Saturday in nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal during the seventh and final phase of elections, an EC official reported. Polling, which started at 7 AM, will continue until 6 PM.
Basirhat registered the highest polling at 66.76 percent, followed by Mathurapur at 63.66 percent, Jaynagar at 62.24 percent, Diamond Harbour at 61.08 percent, and Barasat at 59.69 percent. Jadavpur saw a turnout of 56.49 percent, Dum Dum recorded 53.06 percent, Kolkata Uttar had 51.22 percent, and Kolkata Dakshin recorded 50.61 percent.
In the Baranagar by-poll, the voter turnout was 53.4 percent by 3 PM, the official added. (With PTI inputs)
Officials reported a voter turnout of 60.14 percent by 3 PM in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand during the final phase of polling on Saturday. Approximately 53.23 lakh voters are eligible to vote in Dumka, Rajmahal, and Godda, where polling began at 7 AM and will continue until 5 PM.
Dumka recorded the highest turnout at 61.52 percent, followed by Rajmahal at 60.90 percent, and Godda at 58.41 percent.
(PTI inputs)
The voter turnout recorded till 3 PM stood at 49.68 per cent. Voting began at 7 AM and will conclude at 6.
During the last phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, veteran actor and TMC candidate from Asansol, Shatrughan Sinha, expressed confidence in the chances of 'INDIA bloc' winning. On Saturday, Sinha dismissed the claims of BJP would winning 400 seats, calling it a facade. He emphasized that the election is a choice between important issues ('Mudda') and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's track record ('Modi').
#watch | Moosa, Punjab: Late Singer Sidhu Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh casts his vote at a polling station for the seventh phase of #loksabhaelections2024 pic.twitter.com/NG8vipEuPi
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2024
By 1 pm, the overall voter turnout in Phase 7 of the general election across 57 constituencies was recorded at 40.09 percent. Himachal Pradesh had the highest turnout at 48.63 percent while Bihar had the lowest turnout at 35.65 percent.
The stakes are high in Mandi, where the prestige of Ranaut and Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh Singh, heir of the erstwhile Rampur royal family and son of the six-time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, is on the line.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Thakur, aiming for a fifth term from Hamirpur, and former Union minister Anand Sharma, contesting as the Congress candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency, face significant pressure.
For Sukhu, the six assembly bypolls are crucial for the survival and stability of his 17-month-old government.
Here’s how states have voted till 1 PM. Source: Voter Turnout app
Bihar: 35.65 per cent
Chandigarh: 40.14 per cent
Himachal Pradesh: 48.63 per cent
Jharkhand: 46.80 per cent
Odisha: 37.64 per cent
Punjab: 37.80 per cent
Uttar Pradesh: 39.31 per cent
West Bengal: 45.07 per cent
Voter turnout till 1 PM stood at 40.09 per cent, according to the Election Commission's Voter Turnout app.
BJP candidate Sita Soren, contesting from Jharkhand's Dumka Lok Sabha seat, alleged irregularities in the voting process and called for re-polling in the constituency. Sita, the sister-in-law of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, expressed concern over intentional delays in the voting process. She said that she raised the issue after receiving complaints from voters about delays at booth numbers 44 and 45.
"I have visited several booths in Dumka urban and found irregularities. I have informed the deputy commissioner in this regard. Inexperienced booth level officers (BLOs) have been deployed due to which electors are facing trouble," Sita said.
In the last phase of elections in Bihar, over 24.25% of the electorate exercised their franchise in eight Lok Sabha seats by 11 am. The constituencies voting today include Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Arrah, Karakat, Jehanabad, Buxar, Nalanda, and Jehanabad.
The highest voter turnout was recorded in Karakat at 27.92%, followed by Patliputra (27.68%), Jehanabad (27.09%), Buxar (25.89%), Nalanda (24.30%), Sasaram (22.09%), Arrah (21.19%), and Patna Sahib (19.33%).
In Diamond Harbour, a stronghold of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, clashes erupted between TMC and BJP supporters. The BJP candidate, Abhijit Das, accused the ruling party of malpractices, which the TMC denied.
Sporadic violence marked the final phase of voting in West Bengal's nine parliamentary constituencies. Clash incidents between TMC, ISF, and BJP workers occurred in parts of the violence-prone Jadavpur and Diamond Harbour constituencies. Despite claims of peaceful voting by the poll panel, it received 1,450 complaints by 11 am, including allegations of EVM malfunctions and booth entry obstructions.
Sporadic incidents of violence marked the final phase of voting in West Bengal's nine parliamentary constituencies. Clash incidents between TMC, ISF, and BJP workers occurred in parts of the violence-prone Jadavpur and Diamond Harbour constituencies. Despite claims of peaceful voting by the poll panel, it received 1,450 complaints by 11 am, including allegations of EVM malfunctions and booth entry obstructions.
Nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal are voting in the last phase of elections today. Polling in West Bengal took place in seven phases.
https://twitter.com/CEOWestBengal/status/1770342439464702022
CEO West Bengal further wrote, "Sector Police was a little behind. FIR has been lodged by Sector Officer and necessary action has been initiated. Poll process in all six booths under the Sector is running uninterrupted. Fresh EVM and papers have been provided to the Sector Officer."
On EVM machine being thrown in water, the CEO West Bengal in a post on X, wrote, "Today morning at 6.40 am Reserve EVMs & papers of Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school, at 129-Kultali AC of 19-Jaynagar (SC) PC has been looted by local mob and 1 CU, 1 BU , 2VVPAT machines have been thrown inside a pond."
Nuns of Missionaries of Charity stand in a queue at a polling station in Kolkata to cast their votes for the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls.
Actor and politician Nussrat Jahan casts her vote at a polling booth in Kolkata. After casting her vote, she said the polling is going on peacefully and she expects the best.
Following the Sandeshkhali row, the ruling Trinamool Congress had dropped her from contesting the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat and fielded Nurul Islam, who represents the Haroa constituency, in place of her.
Here’s how states have voted till 11 AM. Source: Voter Turnout app
Bihar: 24.25 per cent
Chandigarh: 25.03 per cent
Himachal Pradesh: 31.92 per cent
Jharkhand: 29.55 per cent
Odisha: 22.64 per cent
Punjab: 23.91 per cent
Uttar Pradesh: 28.02 per cent
West Bengal: 28.10 per cent
The voter turnout till 11 AM stood at 26.3 per cent, according to the Election Commission's 'Voter Turnout' app.
Punjab Congress President and Ludhiana Lok Sabha Seat candidate, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, voted at a polling booth in Sri Muktsar Sahib, falling under the Firozpur Lok Sabha constituency.
The Congress has nominated Sher Singh Ghubaya, while the BJP has put forward Gurmit Singh Sodhi, SAD has fielded Nardev Singh Bobby Mann, and AAP has nominated Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar from this seat.
This final phase marks the culmination of a protracted polling process that commenced on April 19, covering 486 Lok Sabha seats across 28 states and Union territories. Counting of votes will be on June 4. According to Election Commission guidelines, television channels and news outlets will be permitted to release exit poll data and results on June 1, post 6:30 PM.