New Delhi: A nearly 62 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Tuesday in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union Territories. Assam recorded the highest turnout at 76.13 per cent followed by Goa (74.50) and West Bengal (73.93). While Maharashtra (56.40), Uttar Pradesh (57.34), Bihar (57.27), and Gujarat (57.04) had lower voter turnout, Chhattisgarh (68.15), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (65.23), Karnataka (69.30) and Madhya Pradesh (65.11) witnessed moderate polling.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were among those who exercised their franchise in Gujarat, where elections were held in 25 seats. While Modi cast his vote at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Shah voted at a polling booth in Ahmedabad with his family.
Shah (Gandhinagar) is among the bigwigs in the fray in this phase along with Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and SP Singh Baghel (Agra).
After casting his vote, Modi mingled with the crowd waiting outside for him and also held a brief conversation with a visually impaired girl. Later, while talking to media Modi said, “Today is the third phase of voting. There is great importance of ‘Daan’ in our country and in the same spirit, the countrymen should vote as much as possible. Four rounds of voting are still ahead. As a voter in Gujarat, this is the only place where I vote regularly and Amit Bhai is contesting from here as a BJP candidate...”
However, despite the presence of such bigwigs, the voters in Gujarat did not show much enthusiasm to vote.
In Uttar Pradesh, where several members of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family are contesting, party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP workers were trying to “loot booths” in Mainpuri and people from Opposition parties were being detained in police stations. Yadav cast his vote in Saifai (Etawah) in Mainpuri constituency where his wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting.
He also alleged rigging of votes at some places and said, “information is coming from some places that the government is using force. It is heard that officers have been deployed outside polling booths.”
In Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is the NCP candidate from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar were among those who cast their votes. Sharad Pawar was welcomed with a traditional ‘aarti’ as he arrived at a polling booth in the Malegaon area of Baramati constituency in Pune district. Sunetra is pitted against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter and the sitting MP from there.
In Karnataka, Pralhad Joshi, Bhagwanth Khuba, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge were among those who came in early to cast their votes. Former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa along with sons his B.Y. Raghavendra, BJP candidate from Shimoga Lok Sabha segment and B.Y. Vijayendra, party’s state chief -- and daughters-in-law cast their vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district.
In Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and daughter Sukanya Sarma exercised his franchise at Amingaon in Barpeta Lok Sabha seat.
