New Delhi: A voter turnout of over 59% was recorded by 8 PM in the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections held today. Polling was conducted peacefully across 58 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two union territories.
In this phase, voting took place in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, all ten seats in Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, four in Jharkhand, and one parliamentary constituency in Jammu and Kashmir. The Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency in Jammu and Kashmir saw a turnout of over 52%, the highest in the last 35 years. Bihar recorded over 53% voter turnout, Haryana over 58%, Jharkhand around 63%, and Delhi over 54%. Odisha saw over 60% turnout, Uttar Pradesh over 54%, and West Bengal more than 78%.
A total of 889 candidates contested in this phase. Prominent candidates included senior BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan, Maneka Gandhi, Manohar Lal Khattar, and Manoj Tiwari, as well as Congress leaders Deepender Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja, Raj Babbar, and Kanhaiya Kumar. Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were also in the fray.
Simultaneously, polling for 42 seats in the Odisha Assembly’s third phase recorded over 60% voter turnout by 8 PM. Despite the hot weather in some parts of the country, voters remained enthusiastic, queuing up patiently to cast their votes.
With the conclusion of the sixth phase, polling is now complete for 486 parliamentary constituencies in 28 states and union territories. Assembly elections have also concluded for Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, and 105 assembly seats in Odisha. The next and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for June 1st, covering 57 parliamentary constituencies. Counting for all phases will take place on June 4th.