Lok Sabha 7th phase poll: 40.09% voter turnout recorded till 1 pm

In the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, over 10.06 crore citizens, comprising 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women, and 3,574 third-gender electors, are eligible to exercise their franchise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kangana Ranaut, Abhishek Banerjee, Misa Bharti, and Pawan Singh are among the key candidates contesting in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counting of results will take place on June 4.

In Punjab, BSP candidate Surinder Kamboj for the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat has been booked for allegedly recording a video of himself casting his vote and making it public, officials said.

With the conclusion of the seven-phase elections, attention will soon turn to the exit polls, which will begin to emerge after the voting period officially ends, leading up to the results declaration on June 4.

Despite heatwave conditions across large parts of North India, voter turnout reached 40 percent at 1 pm on Saturday, according to the Election Commission’s Voter Turnout app.

The app, which provides real-time approximate turnout percentages, indicated an overall turnout of 40.09 percent at 1 pm for the 57 Lok Sabha constituencies in eight states and Union Territories.

Himachal Pradesh, with all its four seats up for election on Saturday, had the highest turnout at 48.63 percent, while Bihar’s eight seats recorded the lowest turnout at 35.65 percent.

Actor and BJP's Mandi candidate Kangana Ranaut shared pictures on X of herself casting her vote, with the caption "Vote Mandi." She also urged all voters in the Himalayan hill state to participate in the "festival of democracy." Expressing confidence in the BJP's '400 paar' campaign, she referred to herself as a "soldier of PM Modi."

Here’s a state-wise breakdown

Himachal Pradesh leads with 48.63 per cent

Jharkhand – 46.8 per cent

West Bengal – 45.07 per cent

Chandigarh (UT) – 40.14 per cent

Uttar Pradesh – 39.31 per cent

Punjab – 37.8 per cent

Odisha – 37.64 per cent

Bihar – 35.65 per cent

In 2019, the parties of Opposition INDIA bloc won 19 seats out of the 57 going to polls tomorrow, with a vote share of 37.52% .

The ruling BJP-led NDA secured 30 seats, garnering 39.03% of the votes. Of these, the BJP alone won 25 constituencies, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Congress won nine and eight seats, respectively.

The seventh phase marks the conclusion of the marathon Lok Sabha polling process that began on April 19, encompassing 486 Lok Sabha seats across 28 states and Union Territories. Concurrently, elections were held for the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim.

In Odisha, the final phase of the Assembly election is also taking place today in 42 seats, alongside voting for four Lok Sabha seats.