The declining trend in voter turnout persists in the Lok Sabha elections, with the fourth phase polling across 10 states and a Union Territory on May 13 registering a turnout of 67.25%, as per the latest estimates from the Election Commission.
Compared to the 2019 general election turnout of 68.8% in these seats, this marks a decrease of 1.55%. However, the final turnout figures expected in a few days may see some adjustment upwards.
West Bengal saw the highest turnout at 78%, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 76.5%, Madhya Pradesh at 70.98%, Jharkhand at 65.2%, Uttar Pradesh at 58.05%, and Bihar at 57.06%, as per estimates as of 11:45 pm on May 13.
In Jammu and Kashmir, voting was conducted for the Srinagar seat of the Kashmir Valley, recording about 37.98% turnout, the highest since 1996. This is notably higher than the 2019 turnout of 14.43%.
The decline in turnout was observed in the preceding three phases as well, although the margin is gradually narrowing. The third phase recorded a turnout of 65.68%, 1.62 percentage points lower than 2019. Similarly, the second phase saw a turnout of 66.71%, down by about 3 percentage points from 2019, while the first phase recorded a turnout of 66.14%, a decrease of 3.43 percentage points.
Despite polling closing at 6 pm, a significant number of voters remained in queues at polling stations, according to the poll panel.
With the completion of polling in the fourth phase, the fate of 379 constituencies across 23 states and Union Territories has been sealed. Simultaneously, voting was held for all 175 seats of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and 28 of the 147 seats of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
The next three phases of polling are scheduled for May 20, May 25, and June 1, with vote counting set for June 4. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aims for a historic third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, targeting 400 seats, while facing challenges from the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.
