13 May,2024 11:56 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Image. File Pic
An approximate voter turnout of 10.35 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling on Monday in 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, reported news agency PTI.
Polling is being held in all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, all 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, 5 in Bihar, 4 in Jharkhand, 8 in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, 4 in Odisha, 8 in West Bengal and 1 in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Election Commission, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 15.24 per cent.
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 9 am with a turnout of 5.07 per cent voters despite this election being a major one for the Srinagar Lok Sabha Constituency since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Nearly 17.48 lakh electorate are eligible to vote in the election to the prestigious Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency and 24 candidates are contesting.
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Among other states, Andhra Pradesh recorded 9.05 per cent, Bihar 10.18, Jharkhand 11.78, Madhya Pradesh 14.97, Maharashtra 6.45, Odisha, 9.23, Telangana, 9.51 and Uttar Pradesh 11.67 per cent.
Meanwhile in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have lodged complaints alleging EVM malfunctioning, agents being stopped from entering polling booths and voters being either threatened or stopped from going to cast their votes in different constituencies.
The TMC lodged around 139 complaints while the BJP over 35 till 9 AM, party sources said."We have received 350 complaints, of which 99 were disposed of. Our officials in the respective constituencies are looking into the others. They will be resolved quickly," an official said.
A total of 1,717 candidates are in the fray in the Lok Sabha seats and more than 19 lakh polling officials have been deployed at 1.92 lakh polling stations for the over 17.70 crore eligible voters, including 8.73 women, in this round of the seven-phase polls.
The voter turnout in the first three phases of the Lok Sabha elections was 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent and 65.68 per cent, respectively.
Polling for the next three phases in the country is on May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is on June 4.
(With inputs from PTI)
