19 April,2024 10:44 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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Maharashtra had a 7.3 per cent turnout in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections up till 9 am in five constituencies. Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur, and the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) constituency in the state's east are among these seats.
By 9 am Gadchiroli-Chimur had the highest turnout with 8.43 per cent of voters casting their ballots for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 followed by Nagpur which was at 7.73 per cent. Chandrapur's tally stood at 7.44 per cent while Bhandara-Gondia's tally was 7.22 per cent. Ramtek saw the lowest voter turnout by 9 am with the tally at 5.82 per cent.
The average turnout across these constituencies was 7.3 per cent.
The voting process for Maharashtra's 43 other Lok Sabha seats will be divided into four phases which will be held on April 26 and in May.
The Vidarbha area, where these constituencies are located, has 95,54,667 voters. There are 48,28,142 males, 47,26,178 females, and 347 transgender voters, the PTI report further added.
In Nagpur, senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari will face Congress' Vikas Thakre; in Chandrapur, BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar will face Congress' Pratibha Dhanorkar; and in Bhandara-Gondia, BJP's Sunil Mendhe will face Congress' Dr Prashant Patole, the report stated.
Meanwhile, in the Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur constituency, BJP's Ashok Nete confronts Congress' Dr Namdev Kirsan, and in Ramtek, Congress' Shyamkumar Barwe faces Shiv Sena's Raju Parwe, the PTI report added.
Certain assembly segments, notably those in the Naxal-hit area, will vote between 7 am and 3 pm, whilst other regions will vote until 6 pm.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024 polling for the other 43 seats in Maharashtra
The second phase of voting, scheduled on April 26, 2024, will take place in eight constituencies: Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani.
On May 7, 2024, the third round of voting will be held in 11 constituencies, including Raigad, Baramati, Dharashiv, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, and Hatkanangle.
The fourth phase will take place on June 4, 2024, for seats in Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Sambhajinagar, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi, and Beed.
The fifth and final phase of voting will be held on May 20, 2024, in 13 constituencies: Washim, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Welfare, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central, and Mumbai South.
