May 13th 2024.
The Lok Sabha elections are still in full swing, with the fourth phase taking place today in 96 constituencies spread across 10 different states and Union Territories. As the day began, there were already reports of EVM malfunctioning in West Bengal, causing some complaints from voters. However, despite these issues, people were still turning out to cast their votes, with a turnout of 10.35% being recorded in the first two hours of polling.
At the same time, voting was also taking place in 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 legislative assembly seats in Odisha. The Election Commission reported that Jammu and Kashmir had the lowest voter turnout at 5.07% by 9am, while West Bengal had the highest at 15.24%. Other states also had decent turnouts, with Andhra Pradesh at 9.05%, Bihar at 10.18%, Jharkhand at 11.78%, Madhya Pradesh at 14.97%, Maharashtra at 6.45%, Odisha at 9.23%, Telangana at 9.51%, and Uttar Pradesh at 11.67%.
In West Bengal, both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP had filed complaints about EVM malfunctioning, agents being prevented from entering polling booths, and voters being threatened or stopped from voting in different constituencies. According to party sources, the TMC had submitted 139 complaints, while the BJP had submitted over 35 complaints by 9am. However, an election official reassured the public that all complaints were being looked into and resolved as quickly as possible.
In contrast, candidates from Congress and TMC in Baharampur, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Yusuf Pathan, respectively, expressed satisfaction with the way polling was being conducted in their area. TMC's Krishanagar candidate, Mahua Moitra, also stated that the election was being conducted peacefully, and she was personally monitoring the situation at different polling stations.
Meanwhile, in the Telugu states, several prominent figures were seen casting their votes, including former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP chief in Telangana G Kishan Reddy, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, and popular Telugu actors Chiranjeevi and Allu Arjun. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu also exercised their right to vote. Kishan Reddy urged people to come out and vote for democracy and the country's security, while Owaisi reminded voters to think of the country's best interest when casting their votes.
In Maharashtra's Pune, former Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik and his family went to the polls, but his wife's name was found to be missing from the voters' list. Despite bringing this to the attention of a polling official, no action was taken. However, this was a minor hiccup compared to the reports of three TDP polling agents being allegedly kidnapped in Chittoor district. Fortunately, they were rescued by the Election Commission.
In Uttar Pradesh, 13 Lok Sabha constituencies were up for voting in the fourth phase, and by 9am, a turnout of 11.67% was recorded. The keenly watched seats in this phase include Kannauj, where Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is seeking re-election, and Kheri, where Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni is eyeing a hat-trick, despite his son being an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
This election in Srinagar is especially significant as it is the first major election in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Nearly 17.48 lakh people are eligible to vote, and 24 candidates are in the fray.
The Election Commission has noticed a lower voter turnout in the first three phases of the Lok Sabha elections, with the heatwave conditions being a contributing factor. However, they have reassured the public that there is no significant concern for hot weather conditions in this phase, according to the India Meteorological Department's forecast. In some Telangana seats, the poll timing has been adjusted to account for the hot weather and people's reluctance to go out in the afternoon.
A total of 1,717 candidates are competing in the Lok Sabha seats, and more than 19 lakh polling officials have been deployed at 1.92 lakh polling stations for the over 17.70 crore eligible voters in this round of the seven-phase polls, including 8.73 crore women. The next phases of polling will take place on May 20, May 25, and June 1, with the counting of votes on June 4.
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