New Delhi, May 21: The fifth phase, considered the most urban among the seven phases, saw voting in several high-profile constituencies, such as Amethi, Rae Bareli, and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, along with six constituencies in Mumbai, Hajipur in Bihar, and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to data from the Election Commission of India (ECI), Bihar recorded a voter turnout of 54.85%, while Jammu and Kashmir recorded 56.73% by 11:30 pm. Similarly, Jharkhand saw a turnout of 63.07%, Ladakh 69.62%, Maharashtra 54.29%, Odisha 67.59%, Uttar Pradesh 57.79%, and West Bengal 74.65%.
Monday's fifth-phase voting saw participation from over 53 million people across 49 seats in six states and two Union territories. The voter turnout of 60.5% marked a slight decrease compared to the 62.4% recorded five years ago, yet it indicated increased participation compared to the earlier phases.
Latest highlights
– On Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a show cause notice to former Union Minister and MP Jayant Sinha. The notice cites his lack of involvement in “organisational work” and “election campaigning” following the party's nomination of Manish Jaiswal as the candidate for the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat.
– Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra, who faced criticism for his controversial remarks regarding Lord Jagannath, clarified his statement. He apologised for his “slip of the tongue” and pledged to perform penance in the name of Lord Jagannath as a gesture of apology.
– Once labelled as “chhota Pakistan,” Sopore town in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a significant transformation as voters turned out in large numbers to cast their votes in the Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections.
Polling schedule:
Phase 1: April 19 (voting done)
Phase 2: April 26 (voting done)
Phase 3: May 7 (voting done)
Phase 4: May 13 (voting done)
Phase 5: May 20 (voting done)
Phase 6: May 25
Phase 7: June 1
Counting of votes: June 4
Follow all the updates here:
Tue, 21 May 2024 11:29 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: ‘INDIA bloc will form govt after June 4,' says Arvind Kejriwal in press conference
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: AP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the BJP-led Centre on Tuesday, expressing confidence that after June 4, the day Lok Sabha election counting is scheduled, the Opposition bloc INDIA will form the government.
He urged the public, saying, “To make India win, ensure that the INDIA bloc wins the elections.”
Tue, 21 May 2024 10:44 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Arvind Kejriwal to hold a press conference shortly
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced via his official ‘X' handle that he will hold a press conference on Tuesday. This comes as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faces criticism over the Swati Maliwal assault case.
“I will do a PC at 11 am,” read Kejriwal's post on ‘X'.
Asserting his commitment, the Aam Aadmi Party chief, currently on interim bail until June 1, pledged to grant full statehood to the national capital once the opposition alliance, INDIA bloc, assumes power at the Centre.
Tue, 21 May 2024 09:53 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: BJP issues show-cause notice to Jayant Sinha
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: BJP has sent a show-cause notice to former Union Minister and MP Jayant Sinha, requesting a response within two days, news agency ANI reported.
The notice states, “You have not taken any interest in organisational work and election campaigning ever since the party declared Manish Jaiswal as the candidate from the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat. You did not even feel the need to exercise your vote. The party's image has been maligned because of your conduct.”
Tue, 21 May 2024 09:13 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: 1,100 Odisha villagers boycott polling in Phase 5 over demand for school and hospital
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Around 1,100 villagers in Balangir boycott polling, demanding schools and hospitals, ANI reported. Presiding Officer Runu Meher stated, “We wanted to conduct the mock poll… but we did not find any agent… Nobody has cast their vote yet.”
A villager mentioned, “We boycotted the voting for our demand over panchayat and high school… We will not cast our vote until our demands are fulfilled.”
Tue, 21 May 2024 08:13 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Independent candidate moves SC against denial of records of votes polled in UP's Rampur seat
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Advocate Mehmood Pracha, who ran as an independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections for Uttar Pradesh's Rampur parliamentary seat, has brought a case to the Supreme Court alleging that the Returning Officer has failed to provide him with copies of the Form 17-C, which records the votes cast in the constituency.
Pracha has petitioned the SC to instruct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to release voter turnout data promptly after elections, according to news agency ANI.
He has submitted an intervention application in an ongoing case initiated by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which addresses a similar issue.
Tue, 21 May 2024 07:57 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Cong leaders pay homage to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on 33rd death anniversary
Tue, 21 May 2024 07:45 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Naveen Patnaik slams Sabmit Patra over remarks relating to Lord Jagannath
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik criticised Sambit Patra on Monday for his statements regarding Lord Jagannath. The BJD leader asserted that the BJP leader has wounded “Odia Asmita” and deemed it “an insult to the Lord” to depict “Mahaprabhu as a devotee of another human being.”
Responding to Patra's remarks suggesting that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi, Naveen Patnaik remarked that the BJP leader's comments “will face condemnation from the people of Odisha for a significant duration.”
Patra later clarified that his remarks were a mere slip of the tongue, emphasising that “an issue” should not be fabricated “out of a non-existent issue”.
