Tripura recorded the highest percentage of voter turnout at around 33 per cent while the percentage of voting in Lakshadweep had been lowest at 16 per cent till 11 am on Friday. Voting is underway in 102 Lok Sabha seats spread across 21 states and Union territories in the first of the seven phases of the world’s largest electoral exercise.
According to the data shared by the Election Commission of India, voter turnout till 11 am has been as follows:
Andaman and Nicobar: 21.82%
Arunachal Pradesh:18.26%
Assam: 27.22%
Bihar: 20.42%
Chhattisgarh: 28.12%
Jammu and Kashmir: 22.60%
Lakshadweep: 16.33%
Madhya Pradesh: 30.46%
Maharashtra: 19.17%
Manipur: 27.64%
Meghalaya: 31.65%
Mizoram: 26.23%
Nagaland: 22.50%
Puducherry: 27.63%
Rajasthan: 22.51%
Sikkim: 21.20%
Tamil Nadu: 23.72%
Tripura: 33.28%
Uttarakhand: 24.83%
Uttar Pradesh: 25.20%
West Bengal: 33.56%
The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm with over 16.63 crore people are eligible to vote in the first phase which includes 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.
Among the prominent voters who headed to polling station early in the day were Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who cast his vote at Walbakgre polling station in Tura Lok Sabha constituency, Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, who cast his ballot in Nagpur, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who exercised his franchise in Bikaner and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at Nagra Terai polling station in Khatima.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khnadu and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also cast their votes at their native villages in Arunachal Pradesh.
Polling is being held for all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).
The voting is also taking place on 12 seats of Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.
Voting is also underway for 60-member Arunchal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and 35-member Sikkim Legislative Assembly.