In the third phase, across 93 constituencies, the final turnout was 65.68 per cent as compared to 67.3 per cent in 2019.
All 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, and four in Odisha voted on Monday.
AdvertisementWith these 96 seats, polling is now over in 23 states and Union Territories, covering 379 of the total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Besides the 96 Lok Sabha seats, polling was also held for all the 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 Assembly seats in Odisha on Monday.
In the next phase on May 20, polling is scheduled in 49 Lok Sabha seats across eight states and UTs.
Continuing the trend of a dip in voter turnout this Lok Sabha elections, the 96 constituencies across 10 states and Union territories which voted in the fourth phase on Monday saw 67.25 per cent polling, as per the Election Commission’s estimates at 11.45 pm. The turnout in these seats was 68.8 per cent in 2019.
However, the final turnout, which the EC said would be released on Friday, may increase as reports from all polling stations are taken into account.
The turnout gap has narrowed as compared to the earlier phases. In the first phase, when 102 constituencies went to polls, the final turnout was 66.14 per cent, down from 69.89 per cent in 2019. In the second phase, in which 88 seats voted, the final turnout was 66.71 per cent, down from 69.64 per cent in 2019. In the third phase, across 93 constituencies, the final turnout was 65.68 per cent as compared to 67.3 per cent in 2019.
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In Jammu and Kashmir, which had one constituency (Srinagar) in the fourth phase, the turnout jumped by over 23 percentage points, from 14.39 per cent in 2019 to 37.98 per cent this time. The only other states which saw a slight increase were Telangana (64.74 per cent as compared to 62.69 per cent in 2019) and Odisha (73.97 per cent as compared to 73.95 per cent in 2019). All 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, and four in Odisha voted on Monday.
In a statement, the EC said polling went off peacefully. “Polling was closed at 6 pm, but a large number of voters were still in the queue at polling stations,” the EC said. Polling continued beyond 6 pm to allow those who had entered the polling stations to cast their votes. A total of 17.7 crore electors were eligible to cast their votes across the 1.92 lakh polling stations in the fourth phase.
West Bengal, where seven constituencies went to polls, saw the highest turnout of 78.37 per cent (estimates till 11.45 pm); these seats had recorded 82.68 per cent polling in 2019.
Andhra Pradesh, where polls were held for all the 25 Lok Sabha seats, saw a turnout of 76.5 per cent as compared to 79.64 per cent in 2019.
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With these 96 seats, polling is now over in 23 states and Union Territories, covering 379 of the total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Among the other constituencies which voted on Monday were 13 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, eight in Madhya Pradesh, five in Bihar and four each in Jharkhand and Odisha.
Besides the 96 Lok Sabha seats, polling was also held for all the 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 Assembly seats in Odisha on Monday.
In the next phase on May 20, polling is scheduled in 49 Lok Sabha seats across eight states and UTs.
