In 58 constituencies across six states and two Union territories, voting in the sixth round of the Lok Sabha elections has recorded a voter turnout of 10.82 per cent as of 9 a.m. on Saturday.
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In 58 constituencies across six states and two Union territories, voting in the sixth round of the Lok Sabha elections has recorded a voter turnout of 10.82 per cent as of 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Election Commission (EC) reports that in the first two hours of voting, West Bengal had the highest voter turnout (16.54%) and Odisha had the lowest (7.43%). The EC figures indicated that 12.33% of voters turned out to vote in Uttar Pradesh, 11.74 per cent in Jharkhand, 9.66 per cent in Bihar, 8.89 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir, 8.94 per cent in Delhi and 8.31 per cent in Haryana.
Early voters in the nation's capital included President Droupadi Murmu, Congressmen Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers S Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi minister Atishi, and departing East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir.
Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the PDP and candidate for the Jammu and Kashmir seat of Anantnag-Rajouri, stated that her mobile number's outgoing calls have been blocked. "I have not been able to make any calls since morning. There is no explanation for this sudden suspension of services on the day of polling in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency," Mehbooba told PTI. The PDP also alleged that its workers and polling agents were detained by police ahead of polling.
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In addition to Delhi, elections are being held in 14 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, 8 seats in each of West Bengal and Bihar, 6 seats in Odisha, 4 seats in Jharkhand, and 1 seat in Jammu and Kashmir. Polling for the Karnal assembly by-poll in Haryana and 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha is taking place concurrently. People were observed lining up at voting places as early as 7 a.m. to cast their votes. Khattar and Saini cast their votes at their respective booths among the first in Haryana.
Saini voted in his home town of Mirjapur Majra in the Naraingarh district of Ambala with his family in tow. Khattar used a voting place in Prem Nagar, Karnal, to exercise his right to vote. In the penultimate round of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, and President of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge urged citizens to use their right to vote in big numbers. "I urge all those who are voting in the 6th phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to vote in large numbers. Every vote counts, make yours count too! Democracy thrives when its people are engaged and active in the electoral process. I especially urge women voters and youth voters to vote in large numbers," Modi said in a post on X. Kejriwal said, "Each vote cast by you in this great festival of democracy will be against the authoritarian mindset and strengthen democracy and the Constitution of India. Go to the polling stations and assert that there is democracy in India and democracy will remain in India through your votes." Kharge appealed to people to vote against the politics of hatred, rhetoric and distraction.
In the sixth phase, more than 11.13 crore voters—5.84 crore men, 5.29 crore women, and 5,120 voters of the third gender—are qualified to cast ballots. At 1.14 lakh polling places, the EC has stationed almost 11.4 lakh election workers. The poll commission has instructed election authorities and state machinery to take appropriate measures to mitigate the harmful effects of hot weather, as major portions of India are currently experiencing a heatwave.
In West Bengal, voting will be held in the tribal belt Jangal Mahal region, spanning five districts. A hotspot for identity politics, the region sends eight representatives to Lok Sabha from Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur seats. Out of the eight seats, the BJP won five and TMC bagged three in the 2019 polls. A fascinating battle is expected in Delhi, where all seven seats will be directly contested by the BJP, Congress, and AAP, allies in the INDIA alliance. Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shrawasti, Domariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr, and Bhadohi seats in Uttar Pradesh are all up for election.
In Jharkhand, voters in the constituencies of Giridih, Dhanbad, Ranchi, and Jamshedpur total about 82.16 lakh, of whom 40.09 lakh are women. Eight seats in Bihar—Valmiki Nagar, Pashchim Champaran, Purbi Champaran, Sheohar, Siwan, Gopalganj, Maharajganj, and Vaishali—are up for grabs with 86 candidates. Along with 42 assembly seats under these Lok Sabha segments, polling is also taking place in Odisha's six parliamentary constituencies: Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Puri, and Sambalpur.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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