LS Polls, Phase 5: Bengal Leads In Voter Turnout Amid Violence, Maharashtra Logs Lowest. Check Seat-Wise Percentage

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 5 witnessed a 57.51% voter turnout. West Bengal logged the highest turnout despite continued poll violence, while the lowest was in Maharashtra.

Women show their ink-marked fingers after casting their votes during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Saran, Monday, May 20, 2024. ( Image Source :PTI )

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 5: The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections witnessed a voter turnout of over 57.51 per cent on Monday, covering 49 constituencies across six states and two Union Territories. This phase, however, was marked by sporadic incidents of violence, particularly in West Bengal, and a poll boycott in a village in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, EVM glitches were reported in several booths in Odisha and West Bengal.

According to the Election Commission, the approximate polling percentage recorded was 57.51 per cent. Among the states, Maharashtra recorded the lowest voter turnout at 49 per cent, while West Bengal saw the highest at 73 per cent. Other states and a union territory reported the following turnouts: Bihar at 53 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir at 55 per cent, Jharkhand at 63 per cent, Odisha at 60.72 per cent, Uttar Pradesh at 58 per cent, and Ladakh at 67 per cent.

State/UT	Constituency	Constituency Turnout (%)	State Turnout (%)
Bihar	Sitamarhi	53.40	52.60
	Madhubani	49.96
	Muzaffarpur	55.30
	Saran	50.46
	Hajipur	53.81
Jammu & Kashmir	Baramulla	54.67	54.67
Ladakh	Ladakh	67.15	67.15
Maharashtra	Dhule	48.81	49.01
	Dindori	57.06
	Nashik	51.16
	Kalyan	41.70
	Palghar	54.32
	Bhiwandi	49.43
	Thane	48.04
	Mumbai North	46.91
	Mumbai North-West	49.79
	Mumbai North-East	48.67
	Mumbai North-Central	47.46
	Mumbai South-Central	48.26
	Mumbai South	44.63
Odisha	Bargarh	66.14	60.72
	Sundargarh	62.36
	Bolangir	61.35
	Kandhamal	57.46
	Aska	55.65
Uttar Pradesh	Mohanlalganj (SC)	62.53	57.79
	Lucknow	52.03
	Amethi	54.17
	Rae Bareli	57.85
	Jalaun	55.99
	Jhansi	63.57
	Hamirpur	60.36
	Banda	59.46
	Kaushambi (SC)	52.60
	Barabanki (SC)	66.89
	Faizabad	58.96
	Kaiserganj	55.47
	Gonda	51.45
West Bengal	Bangaon	75.73	73
	Barrackpur	68.84
	Howrah	68.84
	Uluberia	74.50
	Serampore	71.18
	Hooghly	74.17
	Arambagh	76.90
Jharkhand	Chatra	62.96	63
	Kodarma	61.86
	Hazaribagh	64.32

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 5: Violence & Clashes in West Bengal, Boycott in Uttar Pradesh, Complaints in Maharashtra

In West Bengal, the elections were marred by violence in seven parliamentary constituencies. Clashes erupted between TMC and BJP supporters in Barrackpore, Bongaon, and Arambagh, according to news agency PTI. The poll panel received 1,036 complaints from various political parties regarding EVM malfunctions and agents being barred from entering booths.

In Arambagh's Khanakul area, TMC and BJP supporters clashed. BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee faced protests from TMC activists in Hooghly, leading to a confrontation. Police and central forces intervened to disperse the groups, PTI reported. In Howrah's Liluah area, the BJP accused TMC workers of booth jamming, resulting in more clashes. In Bongaon, BJP leader Subir Biswas was allegedly assaulted by TMC supporters, and in Kalyani, Union Minister and BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur caught a person using the identity card of his rival TMC candidate inside a polling booth, as per PTI. The person was removed by central forces from the booth.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party claimed EVM malfunctions and accused the BJP of preventing voters from casting their ballots in three booths in Rae Bareli. The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress posted on X, “Booth number 5, Rasulpur in Sareni in Rae Bareli is closed since 8 AM (and) voters are going back.  So this is how (the target of) 400 (seats) will be crossed!”

Samajwadi Party candidate Shreya Verma from Gonda constituency complained to the Election Commission about alleged unfair polling practices in Mankapur. In Kaushambi, voters from Hisampur Madho village boycotted the election, demanding assurances for the construction of a road and railway bridge connecting their village to other areas.

In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray highlighted issues regarding the lack of facilities for voters outside polling booths, accusing ECI of "pathetic management". Thackeray posted on X, “An agency that boasts about One Nation, One Poll, cannot conduct an election process that is smooth in even 1 constituency, forget the entire city. Citizens have complained about heat, suffocation in booths, possibly purposeful slow voting (voter suppression) especially in selective constituencies. The lack of separate lines for senior citizens and pregnant women in many booths, absence of fans, water and shade have angered the citizens. We Mumbaikars stepped out to vote, but your pathetic management/ purposeful voter suppression methods tried to keep us away from the booths. Nonetheless people stepped out and voted!”

A clash broke out between Congress and BJP workers during voting in Little Angel School located in the Sion area of Mumbai. BJP workers alleged that they were giving voting slips to voters 100 meters away from the polling centre, on which Congress officials accused the saffron party members of interfering in the voting process by going near the polling centre, news agency ANI reported citing Mumbai Police.  The BJP claimed that the Congress members threatened to kill two people. Based on the complaint of a BJP worker, Sion police registered a case against two unknown people under section 506(2) of IPC and started further investigation, the Police said, as per PTI.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders of corrupt practices at a polling booth in Bhandup, Mumbai. MLA Sunil Raut dismissed these allegations, stating that a dummy EVM was kept for educational purposes and was removed under political pressure.

In Odisha, an auto-rickshaw driver was allegedly hacked to death near Sarsara in Bargarh district while transporting voters to a polling booth. While the family claimed it was a political murder, police suggested personal enmity as the motive, PTI reported. EVM issues were also reported in some places in Odisha.

Over 8.95 crore people, including 4.26 crore females and 5,409 third-gender electors, were eligible to vote in this phase. A total of 9.47 lakh polling officials were deployed across 94,732 polling stations. Polling for 23 states and Union territories covering 379 seats has been completed so far. The sixth and seventh phases of voting are scheduled for May 25 and June 1, respectively, with the counting of votes set for June 4.