Phase 7 turnout is 59.15%
An approximate voter turnout of 59.15 per cent was recorded on Saturday in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls with incidents of violence between TMC and BJP supporters reported in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and complaints of EVM glitches and rigging at some booths being lodged.
Polling was conducted in seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for 57 constituencies, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.
Voting was held amid a severe heatwave in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh also took place simultaneously.
Saturday's voting marked the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. The assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls.
With the focus now on June 4, the counting for the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on June 2.
According to the EC's voterturnout app at 8 pm, the estimated polling percentage in the last phase was 59.15.
A voter turnout of nearly 69.03 per cent was recorded in Jharkhand. Uttar Pradesh logged a polling percentage of 55.60, West Bengal 69.89, Bihar 49.58 and Himachal Pradesh 67.39.
Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 55.69 per cent while Chandigarh registered a voting percentage of 62.80. Odisha recorded around 63.21 per cent voting.
Bengal's polling was marred by violence. In Bengal's Sandeshkhali, clashes broke out between TMC and BJP supporters over allegations of electoral malpractices. BJP candidate Rekha Patra alleged that TMC goons stopped voters from casting their votes. The TMC made counter allegations and accused Patra and BJP goons of trying to vitiate the poll atmosphere.
As both the groups came to blows on Basanti express highway, police resorted to baton charge and tear gas shelling to disperse the mob.
Basirhat SP Hossain Mehedi Rahaman said three persons were injured during the clash between TMC and BJP supporters at Bayramari in Sandeshkhali.
Prominent candidates among the 904 in the fray are Union minister Anurag Thakur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and actor Kangana Ranaut.
Polling was held in eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar, along with the bypoll to the Agiaon Assembly seat. Union minister R K Singh and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad are among the contestants in the fray.
The Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda seats in Jharkhand went to polls in this phase. All eyes are on Dumka, where the BJP's Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, is contesting against the INDIA bloc's Nalin Soren. Sita Soren, a three-term former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator, joined the BJP just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Polling was also held for six Lok Sabha and 42 assembly seats in Odisha.
In Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of 80 members to the Lok Sabha among all the states, voting was held in 13 constituencies.