Lok Sabha Elections Phase 5: 56.68% Voter Turnout by 5 PM, West Bengal Tops with 73%

As of 5 PM, an overall voter turnout of 56.68% was recorded in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, encompassing 49 parliamentary constituencies across eight states and union territories. West Bengal led the turnout with 73%, followed by Ladakh at 67.15%, Jharkhand at 61.90%, and Odisha at 60.55%. Uttar Pradesh reported 55.80%, Jammu and Kashmir 54.21%, Bihar 52.35%, and Maharashtra 48.66%.

In West Bengal, seven constituencies saw a voter turnout of 73% by 5 PM, according to Election Commission data. Arambag recorded the highest turnout at 76.90%, followed by Bangaon at 75.73%, Uluberia at 74.50%, Hooghly at 74.17%, Sreerampur at 71.18%, and Howrah and Barrackpore both at 68.84%.

Bihar recorded a 52.35% voter turnout across five constituencies by 5 PM. Muzaffarpur had the highest polling at 55.30%, followed by Hajipur at 53.81%, Sitamarhi at 53.13%, Saran at 50.46%, and Madhubani at 49.01%.

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Uttar Pradesh saw a turnout of 55.80% across 14 constituencies till 5 PM. Barabanki led with 64.86%, followed by Hamirpur at 57.83%, and Banda at 57.38%.

In Jharkhand, the turnout reached 61.90% by 5 PM across the three constituencies of Chatra, Hazaribag, and Koderma. Hazaribag had the highest turnout at 63.66%, followed by Koderma at 61.60%, and Chatra at 60.26%. Notably, voting was boycotted at two polling booths in Hazaribag due to unmet demands for a bridge.

Ladakh recorded a voter turnout of over 67% by 5 PM, with the election determining the fate of three candidates for its lone Lok Sabha seat. Covering the Leh and Kargil districts, Ladakh is India’s largest parliamentary constituency by area. Chief Electoral Officer Yetindra M Maralkar anticipated up to 75% turnout by the end of the day, potentially surpassing the 71.05% turnout in 2019.