A high voter turnout of over 62.37 per cent has been reported in the 102 Lok Sabha seats which went to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections yesterday. Polling remained largely peaceful with voters from various walks participating enthusiastically despite the heat wave in a dazzling display of civic responsibility and pride. Of the 102 Parliamentary constituencies, 11 Lok Sabha seats are reserved for ST and 18 seats are reserved for SC. These constituencies are spread over 17 states and four Union Territories. These are from States including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.

One Lok Sabha seat of Lakshadweep clocked in the highest voter turnout recorded at 83.88 per cent. One Lok Sabha seat of Tripura recorded a voter turnout of 81.62 per cent. Three Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal recorded a high voter turnout of over 80.55 per cent, while one Lok Sabha seat of Sikkim recorded a voter turnout of 80.03 per cent. Eight seats of Uttar Pradesh saw a voter turnout of over 60.25 per cent, four seats of Bihar recorded over 48.88 per cent, Rajasthan recorded over 57.26 per cent for eight Parliamentary constituencies, five seats of Maharashtra saw a voter turnout of over 61.87 per cent, five seats of Assam recorded over 75.95 per cent and all 39 seats of Tamil Nadu recorded a voter turnout of over 69.46 per cent in the first phase.

All five seats in Uttarakhand recorded a poll percentage of 55.89 per cent, and one seat in Chhattisgarh recorded a voter turnout of 67.56 per cent. Meanwhile, two seats of Meghalaya recorded a poll percentage of 74.50 per cent and one seat of Jammu and Kashmir recorded a voter turnout of 68.27. A total of 1625 candidates were in the fray in this phase. Senior BJP leaders and Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, Dr Jitendra Singh, Sanjeev Balyan and as well as BJP leaders Tamilisai Soundararajan and Jitin Prasada, and Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Karti Chidambaram and Nakul Nath and DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran are prominent faces whose political fate were sealed in the EVMs yesterday.

The Election Commission has thanked voters and the entire election machinery. Fifty-six villages in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar and the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar voted for the first time. The Shompen tribe are the indigenous people of the interior of Great Nicobar Island and are designated as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. A large number of first-time voters also participated enthusiastically. Akashvani’s correspondent reports that against the backdrop of a largely peaceful and conducive environment, the nation’s diverse electorate painted vivid pictures of democracy in action. From bustling city centres to remote villages, the polling stations witnessed a colourful convergence of voters spanning generations and backgrounds. Polling was seamless, based on meticulous planning and execution by the Commission and its officials in the field.