In the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which took place on May 7, the overall voter participation was reported at 65.68 percent by the Election Commission of India on Saturday. The male electorate turnout marked at 66.89 percent, whereas the female participation recorded at 64.41 percent. Notably, 25.2 percent of the voters identified as third-gender individuals.
Assam emerged with the highest voter engagement, boasting an impressive turnout of 85.45 percent, closely followed by Goa with 76.06 percent in the third phase. Conversely, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar experienced the lowest participation rates at 57.55 percent and 59.15 percent, respectively.
For the initial two phases, the cumulative voting percentage stood at 66.14 percent and 66.71 percent, successively. The third phase, encompassing 93 constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories, saw sporadic incidents of unrest.
A significant populace of 17.24 crore, including 8.39 crore females, were eligible to cast their votes during the third phase, facilitated by 1.85 lakh polling stations. This phase marked the completion of voting in 20 states/UTs and 282 Lok Sabha seats out of 543. Notably, the ballot featured over 1,331 candidates, including approximately 120 women.
Prominent figures exercising their voting rights included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who participated in Gujarat’s polling stations, encompassing 25 seats in contention during the third phase.
With the BJP securing Surat uncontested, Gujarat witnessed polls for 25 seats alongside 11 seats in Maharashtra, 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, and the remaining 14 out of 28 in Karnataka. Additionally, voting took place for seven seats in Chhattisgarh, five in Bihar, four each in Assam and West Bengal, and both seats in Goa. Furthermore, balloting was conducted for two seats in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, along with nine seats in Madhya Pradesh, including Betul, where elections were previously postponed.
Subsequent phases are scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with the vote tallying set for June 4.
