Lok Sabha election Phase 4: Around 65% turnout recorded for 72 seats, violence reported from West Bengal 

Women outside a Rajasthan polling booth showing their voter ID cards.

New Delhi: Voting for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election concluded, on Monday, covering 72 constituencies across nine states, including a part of Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag constituency. With the conclusion of the fourth phase of the election, voting has now taken place for 70 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats.

This phase witnessed several incidents of violence in West Bengal, where polling was held on eight constituencies. According to the Election Commission, supporters of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress clashed over allegations of poll rigging in Birbhum. In another incident, a bomb was hurled close to a polling station, in which at least five people were injured. TMC’s Birbhum district chief, Anubrata Mondal, was put under house arrest.

In Asansol, sitting BJP MP Babul Supriyo’s car was reportedly attacked. A case has been registered against Supriyo for entering the poll booth with his security men and manhandling a security guard on duty at the booth. There have been reports of complaints of technical glitches in EVMs and VVPAT machines in some polling booths.

According to the Election Commission’s official Voter Turnout app, at 11pm, around 65 per cent of the eligible voters exercised their franchise for these 71 seats. This is likely to change with data still coming in.

The Phase 1 of the election saw a turnout of 69 per cent while the Phase 2 also saw a similar turnout. The Phase 3 witnessed a turnout of 66 per cent. Despite the violence in West Bengal, the state witnessed a turnout of 76.47 per cent. In Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag, where voting is taking place in three phases due to security reasons, less than 10 per cent of eligible voters exercised their franchise.

State-wise break-up of voting percentage:

For more details about constituencies and phases click here.

Among the big names who were in the fray in the Phase 4 are:

Kanhaiya Kumar (CPI/Begusarai), Giriraj Singh (BJP/Begusarai), Urmila Matondkar (Congress/Mumbai North), Dimple Yadav (Samajwadi Party/ Kannauj), Milind Deora (Congress/Mumbai South), Babul Supriyo (BJP/Asansol), Moon Moon Sen (TMC/Asansol), Salman Khurshid (Congress/Farrukhabad and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress/Baharampur).

Voting for the Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha election will take place on May 6, which will see 55 constituencies going to the poll in 7 states.

Lok Sabha election Phase 1 report
Lok Sabha election Phase 2 report
Lok Sabha election Phase 3 report

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