Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Polls Records 62.21% Voter Turnout

New Delhi: The third phase of Lok Sabha elections concluded today with a voter turnout of approximately 62.21%, as reported by the Election Commission. Notably, Assam recorded the highest voter participation at 75.83 percent, while Maharashtra witnessed the lowest turnout at 56.37 percent.

Meanwhile, West Bengal recorded 73.93 percent turnout. In Bihar, the turnout was 56.50 percent, in Chhattisgarh, it stood at 66.94 percent, in Goa, it reached 74.00 percent, in Gujarat, it was 56.12 percent, in Karnataka, it reached 66.71 percent, in Madhya Pradesh, it was 62.71 percent and in Uttar Pradesh it was 57.03 percent. Dadra and Nagar Haveli, as well as Daman and Diu, reported a turnout of 65.23 percent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah exercised their voting rights in Ahmedabad.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also participated in the electoral process.

The third phase marked the end of polling for over half of the 543 parliamentary seats.

In Surat, the BJP secured victory as the Election Commission rejected the Congress candidate’s nomination, leading other contenders to withdraw.

BJP strongholds were the focus in this phase. In 2019, the party won 72 out of the 92 seats contested, with Gujarat alone contributing 26 victories.

With 11 out of 48 seats in play, Maharashtra remains unpredictable due to significant political shifts in recent years.

The Baramati battle features the Pawar family, with uncle Sharad Pawar and nephew Ajit Pawar vying for dominance.

Besides Assam (4 seats), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Goa (2), Gujarat (26), Karnataka (14), Madhya Pradesh (8), Maharashtra (11), Uttar Pradesh (10), and West Bengal (4) also participated.

Polling was rescheduled in Betul, Madhya Pradesh, following the death of a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri constituency faced weather-related challenges, leading to postponement.

Union ministers Amit Shah (Gandhinagar, Gujarat), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna, Madhya Pradesh), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad, Karnataka), and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh) contested in this phase.

Opposition leaders included Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav (Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh), Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Baharampur, West Bengal), Digvijaya Singh (Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh), and NCP’s Supriya Sule (Baramati, Maharashtra).

The next phase of elections is scheduled for May 13, with vote counting set for June 4 after the final phase ends on June 1.