Phase 2 polling dips; Rajasthan, Bihar among 5 laggard states

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 28

The second phase of voting for Lok Sabha polls, which concluded on April 26, showed a provisional turnout of 64 per cent, a sharp fall from 2019 elections, when the second phase of polling had seen 69.6 per cent voting.

Though the Election Commission (EC) is yet to release the official polling percentage figures, the dip in percentage from second phase of 2019 is mainly owing to poor turnout in five states.

At 64%, turnout 5.6% lower than 2019

• In 2019, the turnout in 85 of the 88 seats, which saw voting on April 26, was 69.6 %. The dip in percentage from second phase of 2019 is mainly due to poor turnout in five states
• Maharashtra recorded 59.6% turnout, Bihar 57% and UP 54.8% polling, as against 63%, 63% and 62% polling witnessed, respectively, in 2019.

Poor voting was mainly witnessed in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Voting in the second phase was held across 88 seats in 13 states covering Rajasthan, Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka and Maharashtra among others.

In 2019, the turnout in 85 of the 88 seats that saw voting on April 26 was 69.6 per cent.

Voting comparison for five seats in Assam has been difficult since seat boundaries have changed since delimitation last year.

As per provisional figures issued by ECI till late evening of April 26, Maharashtra has recorded a polling turnout of 59.6 per cent, Bihar saw 57 per cent voting and Uttar Pradesh witnessed 54.8 per cent polling, as against 63 per cent, 63 per cent and 62 per cent recorded, respectively, in all the three states in 2019.

Rajasthan, which saw voting on 12 seats in the first phase and 13 in the second phase, had a turnout of 64.07 per cent for the second phase at 11 pm on April 26, while the turnout in the same seats in 2019 was 68 per cent.

Kerala, which saw all its 20 seats go for polling in the second phase, had recorded a 67.15 per cent turnout at 11 pm, while in 2019, it was 78 per cent in the second phase.

Karnataka, which had seen 14 of its 28 seats go to polls on April 26, had registered a 68.38 per cent turnout, while five years back, the turnout on the same 14 seats was 67 per cent in 2019.

The remaining 14 constituencies in the state will vote in the third phase on May 7.

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