Over 57 pc voter turnout recorded in Phase 5 Lok Sabha polls; polling concludes in 49 seats

New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): Voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Monday across all 49 parliamentary constituencies spanning eight States and Union Territories with a voter turnout of 57.51 per cent.
Additionally, polling also ended on 35 Assembly constituencies in Odisha.
According to the poll body, West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout (73 per cent), followed by Ladakh (67.15 per cent), Jharkhand (63.00 per cent), Odisha (60.72 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (57.79 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (54.67 per cent), Bihar (52.60 per cent) and Maharashtra (49.01 per cent).
Mumbai continued to disappoint with voter turnout failing to cross 50 per cent till 7 pm. Mumbai North recorded a turnout of 46.91 per cent; Mumbai North Central saw a turnout of 47.46 per cent, Mumbai North East saw a turnout of 48.67 per cent per cent, Mumbai North West recorded a turnout of 49.79 per cent. Mumbai South had the lowest turnout in the city with 44.63 per cent recorded till 7 pm. Mumbai South Central saw a turnout of 48.26 per cent.
Popular bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Ranbir Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan, Ranveer Singh and Deepika were among the celebrities who stepped out to cast their votes in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Polling began at 7 AM and concluded at 6 PM across constituencies.
As per the ECI, over 8.95 crore voters, including 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5409 third-gender electors, were eligible to decide the fate of 695 candidates in the fifth phase of voting. The fifth phase is witnessing key contests in various constituencies.
Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD's Rohini Acharya are looking for electoral success.
The voting was held in eight states/UTs comprising Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal during the phase 5 Lok Sabha polls.
Cities like Mumbai, Thane, and Lucknow voted in this phase, which has in the past suffered from urban apathy in voting. Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, 7 from West Bengal, 5 from Bihar, 3 from Jharkhand, 5 from Odisha, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In a bid to create a peaceful atmosphere for the electors, a total of 2,000 flying squads, 2105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams kept surveillance round the clock across the 94,732 polling stations.
A total of 216 international border check posts and 565 inter-state border check posts also kept a strict vigil on any illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies. Strict surveillance was maintained on sea and air routes, the ECI said.
Around 451 million people have already voted during the first four phases of the ongoing general elections, the ECI added.
ECI has partnered with a host of prominent figures to appeal to and motivate voters to cast their vote during the ongoing elections.
Polling is also completed in general elections for the state legislative assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh.
The remaining phases of the polls will continue until June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. (ANI)