More than 62 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Friday in the first phase of voting in the 18th Lok Sabha election in 102 constituencies spread over 21 states and Union territories.
The voting was by and large peaceful, save stray incidents in some places.
The Election Commission of India said the voting percentage is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained. Final figures will be known tomorrow after the scrutiny of the available data, an ECI official said.
The voting, which began amidst tight security at 7 am across 1.87 lakh polling stations, concluded at 6 pm. Voters reaching the polling stations till the end of the polling hour were allowed to exercise their franchise.
Prominent BJP candidates whose fate was sealed in the ballot boxes today included Union ministers Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur), Sarbananda Sonowal (Dibrugarh), Kiren Rijiju (Arunachal Pradesh West) and Jitendra Singh (Udhampur); Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai (Coimbatore); and Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada (Pilibhit). Heavyweights from the Congress in the first phase included the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi (Jorhat, Assam) and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath (Chhindwara, MP). Another key candidate was former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) from Bihar’s Gaya.
The Lok Sabha elections are to be held in seven phases between 19 April and 1 June and voting in the second phase will take place on 26 April. Results of the elections will be declared on 4 June.
According to the data issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) at 9 pm, the estimated poll turnout was recorded at 62.37 per cent . Tripura registered 80.70 percent turnout, West Bengal 77.57 percent, Puducherry 73.50 percent, Assam 72.10 per cent, Sikkim 69.47 per cent and Arunachal Pradesh 67.15 per cent.
Jammu and Kashmir registered 65.08 voter turnout, Madhya Pradesh 64.77 percent, Tamil Nadu 65.19 percent, Uttar Pradesh 58.49 percent turnout, Maharashtra 55.35 percent, Uttarakhand 54.06 per cent, Rajasthan 56.58 percent, and Bihar 48.50 percent, as per the data.
With the poll pane’s focus to facilitate voting in tribal hinterland, people in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected areas in Chhattisgarh embraced the power of the ballot over bullet, choosing the path of peace and democracy. Fifty-six villages in Bastar cast their vote in a polling booth set up in their own village for the first time in a Lok Sabha election.
From bustling city centres to remote villages, the polling stations witnessed a colourful convergence of voters spanning generations and backgrounds. Voters came in colourful attire, reflecting the rich tapestry of Indian culture and proudly flaunted their selfies with inked fingers, symbolizing the accomplishment of their civic duty.
The ECI said the assured minimum facilities guaranteed by it at every polling station were of immense support to them.