Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 5 – 62.56 % Total Voter Turnout Recorded

Political heavyweights Rajnath Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani are in the fray in this phase in which polling is under way in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 12 in Rajasthan, 7 seats each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, 5 in Bihar and 4 in Jharkhand.

A grenade attack on a polling booth in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, violence in West Bengal and snags in EVMs were reported as voters queued up outside booths in the initial hours of polling on May 6 for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections in 51 constituencies spread across seven States.

It’s a crucial phase for the BJP, which in 2014 had won 39 out of these 51 seats and together with its allies notched up a tally of 41 for the NDA.

At least 38.2 per cent of the 8.75 crore voters in the 51 seats across the seven states have exercised their franchise till 1 pm in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha election. West Bengal — like in previous phases — continued to record impressive turnout with 50.6 per cent of the nearly 1.17 crore voters having exercised their franchise so far.

On an average, 40 per cent of the voters in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have also cast their votes. Voters in the two seats in Jammu and Kashmir, however, remained away from polling booths with just 11.4 per cent of the electorates exercising their franchise till 1 pm.

BJP leader Smriti Irani, who is contesting against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, has alleged booth capturing in the constituency. “I tweeted an alert to administration and Election Commission (alleging booth capturing in Amethi), hope they take action. People of the country have to decide whether this kind of politics of Rahul Gandhi should be punished or not,” she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Voting for the fifth round began with reports of violence from West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. A grenade was thrown towards a polling booth in Pulwama, while a school building designated as polling booth was set on fire in Shopian early this morning.

In West Bengal, BJP candidate from Barrackpore alleged that he was attacked by Trinamool Congress workers after he voted. Reports of EVM malfunctioning in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were reported in the phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections today.

Nearly 700 candidates are contesting for the 51 seats spread across seven states in phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2019 today. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, his mother and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, and six union ministers are some of the prominent candidates whose fate will be decided by over 8 crore voters in the seven states.

While 149 candidates have been fielded by national parties, 31 are representing state parties, and 252 candidates are contesting independently, Association for Democratic Reforms said.