New Delhi: As polling started today morning for fifth phase of polling spread across 51 constituencies in seven states till 9 am during which near about more than 12 percent voting was recorded, the Voter Turnout App data of the Election Commission (EC) showed.
West Bengal recorded the highest with 14.85 per cent followed by Jharkhand (13.46 per cent), Rajasthan (13.37 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (11.79 per cent), Bihar (11.51 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (9.82 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (0.80 per cent).
Voting began at 7 a.m. across the 51 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over the seven states, largely in the Hindi heartland, in the fifth of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise.
Polling for fifth phase of LS polls underway spread over 7 seven states
A total electorate of over 8.75 crore is eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase which covers the remaining 12 constituencies in Rajasthan; 14 in Uttar Pradesh, including the high-profile Amethi, Rae Bareli and Lucknow seats; five in Bihar; seven each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh; four in Jharkhand; and two in Jammu and Kashmir, including Anantnag, where the third and final phase of polling is underway.
In the 2014 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 39 of these 51 seats — all 12 in Rajasthan, 12 of 14 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Madhya Pradesh, three of five in Bihar, all four in Jharkhand and one of two in Jammu and Kashmir.
Among the 674 candidates in this phase, prominent ones include Congress President Rahul Gandhi from his traditional Amethi constituency where he faces Union Minister Smriti Irani, his mother and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi from neighbouring Rae Bareli, and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who faces actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha’s wife Poonam Sinha (Samajwadi Party) in Lucknow.
Also contesting are Union Ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore – who faces fellow Olympian Krishna Poonia in Jaipur (Rural) – and Jayant Sinha Hazaribagh), former Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) in Barrackpore, and actress-turned-BJP leader Locket Chatterjee in Hooghly.
Polling is underway for phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections on Monday. Here are some interesting nuggets about this phase:
* 51 Lok Sabha constituencies across 7 states headed for polls
* Over 8.75 crore voters to decide fate of 674 candidates
* Over 96,000 polling booths in place for smooth conduct of polls
* Uttar Pradesh has maximum number of polling booths: 28,072
* Jammu and Kashmir has the least number of polling booths: 1,254
* Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency (PC) in Jammu & Kashmir going to polls in Phase III, Phase IV & Phase V, the only such PC in the country.
