Phase 3 turnout at 64.5% vs 66% in 2019, but gap smaller than first two phases

The numbers for 2019 do not include the data for four seats in Assam, where delimitation has been carried out.

Voter turnout in the third phase of polling across 93 Lok Sabha seats on Tuesday touched 64.5 per cent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, these constituencies had recorded a turnout of 66 per cent.

In the first phase, when 102 constituencies went to polls, the final turnout was 66.14 per cent. In the second phase, in which 88 seats voted, the final turnout was 66.71 per cent.  Like the first two phases, the third round also recorded a lower voting percentage compared to 2019 but the gap narrowed significantly, according to the Election Commission (EC) data.

However, the numbers for 2019 do not have the data for four seats in Assam where delimitation was conducted. In the third phase, Assam boasted of the highest turnout with 81.7 percent, according to the data provided by the poll panel’s turnout app till 11.45 pm.

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The numbers for 2019 do not include the data for four seats in Assam, where delimitation has been carried out.

The lowest was in 10 seats of Uttar Pradesh, where the turnout was 57.3 per cent, as against 60 per cent in 2019, followed by Bihar with 58.2 per cent and Gujarat with 59.2 per cent. Gujarat, where 25 of its total 26 constituencies voted (the BJP won Surat unopposed), saw 58.98 per cent polling.

Meanwhile, West Bengal saw 75.8 per cent turnout. It recorded 81.7 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A report by Times of India, poll analysts were quoted as saying the voting percentage in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was the lowest in all three phases.  “That’s a matter of concern despite several efforts put in by the EC,” a source told Times of India. Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa saw an increase in turnout in the third phase.

In the three phases, polling was conducted across 283 parliamentary constituencies across 20 states and UTs. “Though polling was till 6pm, voters were seen in the queue at many polling stations. Voters participated enthusiastically to cast their vote at their polling stations, braving hot weather conditions in some areas,” the EC said. According to the poll panel, voting was “smooth and peaceful”. The three phases covered the entire north-east, Maoist-hit and vulnerable areas in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Starting with the third phase, the EC put out the aggregate turnout on its Voter Turnout app, which had state-wise and seat-wise figures in the first two phases. This comes after  it  faced criticism from the Opposition for the delay in releasing the final turnout data for the first two phases and not making public the total number of electors and voters.