Bharti Jain
NEW DELHI: The voter turnout in the concluding phase of general election 2024 inched up to 63.9% by Sunday evening from 61.6% cited by Election Commission at 11.45pm on Saturday.
Updated Phase 7 polling data, as shown by EC’s Voter Turnout app at the time of going to press, reflected a steady improvement since Phase 5, which had recorded the lowest turnout at 62.2%, and Phase 6, when 63.2% of the electorate cast their vote.
Turnouts – which at present are based on EVM votes and do not include postal ballots – have fluctuated through the phases, with Phase 4 having recorded the highest polling at 69.2%, followed by 66.7% in Phase 2, 66.1% in Phase 1 and 65.7% in Phase 3.
As per the Voter Turnout app, at 77%, West Bengal saw the highest polling among the states in Phase 7. Three other states saw turnouts above 70% – Odisha, where 74.4% electors came out to vote; and Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh, both of clocked a polling percentage of 70.9%.
The Union territory of Chandigarh was not far behind with 68% turnout. Punjab, however, recorded an EVM turnout of 62.8%, much less than its 65.9% turnout in 2019 that, however, includes postal ballots.
Polling in the cowbelt states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was the most sluggish at 53.3% and 55.9% respectively.
Though the final data for Phase 7 is yet to be released by EC, a rough calculation with the EVM turnout showing in the EC app and the electors’ data for Phase 7 constituencies put out by EC on May 27, puts the overall turnout for all phases put together a tad shy of 66%. In 2019, the overall EVM polling percentage was 67.1%. With postal ballots, the all-India turnout in 2019 Lok Sabha poll was 67.4%.
Postal ballots will be counted only on June 4. The final all-India turnout for the current LS polls will be known once the Phase 7 voters data is updated with the polling figure for a couple of repolls ordered in WB and the postal ballots are counted.
Updated Phase 7 polling data, as shown by EC’s Voter Turnout app at the time of going to press, reflected a steady improvement since Phase 5, which had recorded the lowest turnout at 62.2%, and Phase 6, when 63.2% of the electorate cast their vote.
Turnouts – which at present are based on EVM votes and do not include postal ballots – have fluctuated through the phases, with Phase 4 having recorded the highest polling at 69.2%, followed by 66.7% in Phase 2, 66.1% in Phase 1 and 65.7% in Phase 3.
As per the Voter Turnout app, at 77%, West Bengal saw the highest polling among the states in Phase 7. Three other states saw turnouts above 70% – Odisha, where 74.4% electors came out to vote; and Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh, both of clocked a polling percentage of 70.9%.
The Union territory of Chandigarh was not far behind with 68% turnout. Punjab, however, recorded an EVM turnout of 62.8%, much less than its 65.9% turnout in 2019 that, however, includes postal ballots.
Polling in the cowbelt states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was the most sluggish at 53.3% and 55.9% respectively.
Though the final data for Phase 7 is yet to be released by EC, a rough calculation with the EVM turnout showing in the EC app and the electors’ data for Phase 7 constituencies put out by EC on May 27, puts the overall turnout for all phases put together a tad shy of 66%. In 2019, the overall EVM polling percentage was 67.1%. With postal ballots, the all-India turnout in 2019 Lok Sabha poll was 67.4%.
Postal ballots will be counted only on June 4. The final all-India turnout for the current LS polls will be known once the Phase 7 voters data is updated with the polling figure for a couple of repolls ordered in WB and the postal ballots are counted.