EC revises Ph-3 turnout to 65.6%; 85.4% in Assam, lowest 57% in UP

Animesh Singh

New Delhi, May 11

A day after INDIA bloc leaders raised the issue of delay in the release of voter turnout data for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha poll and a huge spike in figures from the initial data with the Election Commission (EC), the poll body on Saturday released the data for the third phase of polling showing a marginal rise in turnout figures at 65.6 per cent from the initial figures of 64.4 per cent released on May 7.

According to the voter turnout data for the third phase of polling held on May 7 on 93 seats across 10 states and a union territory, the polling percentage was 65.6 per cent, a marginal rise of 1 per cent from the turnout figure of 64.4 per cent released by the poll body at 11:40 pm on May 7.

Assam, which recorded the highest turnout of 85.4 per cent, saw a rise of almost 4 per cent from the turnout figure of 81.6 per cent released by the EC on May 7.

West Bengal stood second in terms of voter turnout, at 77.5 per cent. On May 7, the turnout figure for the state was 75.7 per cent.

Uttar Pradesh recorded the lowest turnout percentage at 57.5 per cent, which was marginally higher than the turnout figure of 57.3 per cent released for the state by the EC on May 7.

Gujarat, where all 25 seats (barring Surat, where the BJP has already got a walkover) went to the polls in the third phase, saw a meagre 60 per cent turnout. Valsad was the only seat in the state that saw a high percentage of 72 per cent turnout.

At 92 per cent, Assam’s Dhubri witnessed the highest turnout among all seats in the third phase.

In Maharashtra, where 11 seats went to the polls on May 7, the prestigious Baramati seat, which witnessed a contest between sitting MP Supriya Sule and her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, saw only 59.5 per cent voting.

Maharashtra recorded 63.5 per cent polling in the third phase. In Madhya Pradesh, where polling was held on nine seats in the third phase, Rajgarh saw the highest polling of 76 per cent. Former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh is contesting from this seat.

Another former Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is contesting from Vidisha, witnessed 74.4 per cent voting, while Guna, from where Cabinet Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is contesting, saw a polling percentage of 72.4 per cent.

Madhya Pradesh recorded 66.7 per cent polling in the third phase.