Lok Sabha election Phase 6: Around 63.3% turnout recorded for 59 seats, violence reported from West Bengal yet again 

Muslim women holding roses showing their inked finger after voting in New Delhi.

New Delhi: Voting for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election concluded, on Sunday, covering 59 constituencies spread across seven states, including West Bengal and Delhi. This phase saw 63.3 per cent of eligible voters exercising their franchise, according to the Election Commission’s official Voter Turnout app at 11pm. This figure is likely to change as data is still coming in.

With the conclusion of the sixth phase, voting has now taken place in over 89 per cent of the total number of Lok Sabha seats, which is 543.

The Phase 6 of the general election, yet again witnessed several incidents of violence in West Bengal. Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Bharati Ghosh, who earlier was a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was heckled, pushed to the ground at a polling station and her car was attacked with handmade bombs, allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters. According to the Election Commission, she was seen taking photos inside a polling booth and has transferred the presiding officer.

Meanwhile, in Bengal's Purulia, clashes took place between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP in Balarampur over allegations of booth capturing. The central forces had to use batons to disperse the mob.

The BJP has set itself a target of 23 of the state’s 42 seats.

In Delhi, 5.5 per cent EVMs were replaced in the morning and problems were reported from Chandni Chowk and West Delhi of voting machines at three booths not functioning, alleged by Aam Aadmi Party’s Malviya Nagar legislator Somnath Bharti.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad parliamentary constituency recorded 50.58 per cent voting percentage, the lowest among all the 14 seats which went to polls in this phase of the Lok Sabha election.

In this phase too, West Bengal saw a high turnout of 80 percent whereas Delhi registered just 60 per cent which was 63.37 per cent, in 2014.

The polling concluded in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in Haryana, seven in Delhi, four in Jharkhand and eight each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

State-wise break-up of voting percentage: 

Among the big names who were in fray in Phase 6 were:

Jharkhand minister Chandraprakash Choudhary, Kirti Azad (Congress/Jharkhand), Gita Koda (Congress/ Jharkhand), Sheila Dikshit (Congress/ Delhi), Harsh vardhan (BJP/Delhi), Vijender Singh (Congress/Delhi), Gautam Gambhir (BJP/Delhi), Rahul Gandhi (Congress/Delhi), Somnath Bharti (AAP/Delhi), Bharati Ghosh (BJP/West Bengal)

Voting for the Phase 7 – the last phase – of the Lok Sabha election will take place on May 19. The results will be declared on May 23.

Lok Sabha election Phase 1 report
Lok Sabha election Phase 2 report
Lok Sabha election Phase 3 report
Lok Sabha election Phase 4 report
Lok Sabha election Phase 5 report

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