Lok Sabha polls: West Bengal sees 15.09 per cent voter turnout, Madhya Pradesh 15 per cent till 9 am

New Delhi [India], April 19 (ANI): As of 9:30 am voter turnout percentages varied across states participating in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections with states like West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh leading the voter turnout charts.

According to the data released by the Election Commission of India, West Bengal saw a 15.09 per cent voter turnout while Madhya Pradesh recorded a 15 per cent till 9 am.

Voting percentages for the states participating in phase 1 elections are —

Andaman and Nicobar Islands – 8.64 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh – 6.29 per cent, Assam – 11.15 per cent, Bihar 9.23 per cent, Chhattisgarh 12.02 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 10.43 per cent, Lakshadweep 5.59 per cent, Maharashtra 6.98 per cent.

Manipur 11.91 per cent, Meghalaya 13.71 per cent, Mizoram 11.22 per cent, Nagaland 10.64 per cent, Puducherry 10.11 per cent, Rajasthan 10.67 per cent, Sikkim 7.92 per cent, Tamil Nadu 8.25 per cent, Tripura 15.21 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 12.66 per cent, Uttarakhand 10.54 per cent

The voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was over 67 per cent.

Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo informed that elections in the state are going smoothly.

“There are four to five places where the functioning of EVMs was delayed due to technical fault but all were rectified,” he said.

Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7:00 am.

Voters will exercise their franchise until 6:00 pm. According to the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up, while 18 lakh personnel have been deployed across the 102 constituencies going to the polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA- a coalition of opposing parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing to oust him from power.

The second phase will be held on April 26 and the remaining phases will be May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1 accordingly. The last general elections in 2019 were also held in seven phases.