(HT)
Eleven states and territories including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat voted on Tuesday in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections amid searing temperatures. Tuesday’s polling covered 93 Lok Sabha seats as BJP bagged Surat unopposed after the nomination papers of the Congress candidate were rejected and the others withdrew from the race.
Voter turnout of around 60% was recorded till 5pm, as per EC data, with the highest polling witnessed in BJP-ruled Assam (74.86%) despite overcast skies and light rainfall in most areas. While the official time for voting to end is 6 pm, it can go beyond fixed polling hours to enable voters in the queue who have come well in time to exercise their franchise.
Among the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam that went to the polls today, Dhubri recorded the highest voter turnout at 79.7%, followed by Barpeta at 76.2%, Kokrajhar at 74.2% and Guwahati at 67.6%. West Bengal registered around 73.9% voter turnout till 5 pm, with largely peaceful polling in four constituencies of two Muslim-majority districts.
