Lok Sabha Elections Phase 4 Voting Ends Across 10 States And UTs

Phase 4 of the General elections concluded on Monday with a voter turnout of over 62 percent recorded until 5 pm. However, the polling process was marred by incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, as well as reports of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctions in several areas.

According to the data released by the Election Commission, the voting percentage till 5 pm was 62.31, with polling continuing until 6 pm. Notably, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voter turnout at 35.75 percent, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 75.66 percent.

The voter turnout in the nine states and one union territory until 5 pm is as follows:

• Andhra Pradesh – 68.04 percent

• Bihar – 54.14 percent

• Jammu and Kashmir – 35.75 percent

• Jharkhand – 63.14 percent

• Madhya Pradesh – 68.01 percent

• Maharashtra – 52.49 percent

• Odisha – 62.96 percent

• Telangana – 61.16 percent

• Uttar Pradesh – 56.35 percent

• West Bengal – 75.66 percent

In Telangana’s Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, a BJP candidate, K Madhavi Latha, was booked after a video surfaced online showing her asking burqa-clad women voters to reveal their faces for identity verification.

Meanwhile, violence erupted in parts of Andhra Pradesh, with accusations flying between the YSRCP and TDP. In one incident, YSRCP leader A Shiva Kumar reportedly manhandled a voter in Tenali. In Dalavaipalli village, an EVM was destroyed, and vehicles belonging to the ruling party and TDP members were damaged.

In Uttar Pradesh, some villages in Shahjahanpur boycotted the Lok Sabha elections, citing grievances regarding infrastructure and development.

The battleground in West Bengal was fraught with tension as workers from the TMC and BJP clashed in various areas under Birbhum and Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seats. Although the Election Commission claimed overall peace, it acknowledged receiving 1,088 complaints of EVM malfunctioning and agents being obstructed from entering booths.

EVM glitches were also reported in Odisha, where 65 Ballot Units, 83 Control Units, and 110 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were replaced. Notably, most of the replacements were done during the mock poll exercise before the polling commenced at 7 am. The Election Commission suspended two polling officials in the state for dereliction of duty, according to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal.

In Jharkhand, security forces thwarted Maoist attempts to disrupt voter access in remote areas. Maoists fell a tree and blocked a road leading to remote Sonapi and Morangponga areas of West Singhbhum district.

Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, voting progressed peacefully in Srinagar. However, some displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu couldn’t cast their votes due to missing names from the electoral rolls.

A total of 1,717 candidates contested in this phase of the elections, with over 17.70 crore eligible voters, including 8.73 crore women. With this phase, polling concludes in 379 seats out of the total 543.

The voter turnout in the previous three phases stood at 66.14 percent, 66.71 percent, and 65.68 percent, respectively. The remaining phases of the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for May 20, May 25, and June 1, with vote counting slated for June 4.