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Heat keeps the voters away in third phase |
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Despite appeals from nongovernmental organisations and civil society groups to the people to come out and vote, there was a dip in the voter turnout in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 30. Heat wave conditions across most of the country kept the voters home and the poll percentage fell to about 50 per cent from 60 in the first phase and about 55 in the second.
In all, 107 Lok Sabha seats figured in the third phase. With this, voting has been completed in 372 seats, more than two-thirds of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats for which elections are held.
In most states, there was also a drop in the voter turnout as compared to the 2004 elections. In Bihar, 48 per cent voters exercised their franchise, a drop of 10 per cent from 2004. In Karnataka, the poling percentage came down from 69 to 57 per cent. In West Bengal, there was a drop of 13 per cent, but still the voter turnout at 64 per cent was comparatively higher than in other states. In Madhya Pradesh, the voter turnout came down to 45 per cent from 48 five years ago. In Maharashtra, the polling percentage fell from 48 to 44 per cent. In the state capital, Mumbai, only about 41 per cent people turned up at the polling booths.
In Uttar Pradesh, there was a slight increase in the voter turn out which went up from 44 to 45 per cent. In Gujarat also, there was an increase in the polling percentage which went up from 45 to 50. In Jammu and Kashmir, the voter turnout in Anantnag-Pulwama constituency was 28 per cent as against 15 per cent five years ago. But it was much lower than the voter turnout in last year’s Assembly elections.
In Sikkim, where Assembly elections were held simultaneously, the voter turnout was 65 per cent, a drop of 11 per cent from the 76 per cent recorded in 2004. In Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu union territories, the voting percentage fell to 60, a drop of about 10 per cent.
Deputy Election Commissioner R. Balakrishan said that the hot summer had affected the turnout. Temperatures ranged from 40 to 46 degrees Celsius in the nine states and two Union Territories, which figured in the third phase.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishan Advani were among the candidates in the fray in the third phase.
The voting was generally peaceful, except for West Bengal where three persons were killed in a landmine blast triggered by suspected Maoist rebels. The incident occurred shortly after polling ended. The victims were two officers and the driver of the vehicle carrying polling personnel.
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