• Thursday, April 10, 2025

HEADLINE STORY

India election: 4th phase voter turnout dips; poll commission says figures will go up

As many as 96 seats went for polls in the fourth phase and with its completion, polling has completed in 379 seats across the country’s 23 states and Union Territories.

An Indian paramilitary soldier stands alert as Kashmiri women voters queue up to cast their ballots at a polling station during the fourth phase of voting in India’s general election on May 13, 2024 in Srinagar in the northern Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

THE VOTER turnout in phase four of the ongoing national elections in India stood at 62.84 per cent at 8 pm local time on Monday (13) against 65.51 per cent in 2019, a dip of over 2.5 percentage points.

However, the Election Commission (EC) said a large number of voters were still in the queue at polling stations even after 6 pm local time, indicating the turnout would go up.

As many as 96 seats went for polls in the fourth phase. After the latest phase, polling was completed in 379 seats across 23 states and Union Territories (UTs).

Advertisement

Polling for state elections in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and eastern state of Odisha also took place in this phase. While elections for all 175 state constituencies of Andhra Pradesh were completed, partial polling was held for Odisha.

Read: Modi’s candidate asks Muslim voters to lift burqa for ID check

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the turnout recorded in phase four stood at 65.51 per cent. Then, polling was held in 71 seats across nine states in phase four.

In phase one of the ongoing general elections, 66.14 per cent turnout was recorded. In the 2019 polls, the turnout in the first phase stood at 69.43 per cent.

Read: India holds phase 4 of national elections; more than 1,700 candidates in fray

In the second phase of elections held on April 26, the turnout was recorded at 66.71 per cent against 69.64 per cent in phase two of 2019 polls.

The updated voter turnout figures for the third phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections stood at 65.68 per cent. In the third phase of 2019 general elections, the turnout stood at 68.4 per cent.

Advertisement

The poll panel said as per the laid down procedure, scrutiny of election papers takes place one day after the polling day in the presence of candidates or their authorised polling agents.

The decision to conduct a repoll, if any, is also taken thereafter. Some polling parties return after polling day depending on the geographical or logistical conditions.

“The Commission will also, after the scrutiny and depending on the number/ schedule of repoll, publish the updated voter turnout along with gender wise breakup by May 17,” the EC said.

(With PTI inputs)

Related Stories