Lok Sabha elections 2024: 52.6 per cent voter turnout recorded across 10 states till 3 PM

Voting for the fourth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections commenced today in 96 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 10 states and Union Territories. With a total of 1,717 candidates contesting in this phase, polling stations witnessed a significant voter turnout of 52.6% recorded by 3 pm.

The constituencies up for grabs include all 17 seats in Telangana, 25 in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Jharkhand, eight in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, four in Odisha, eight in West Bengal, and one in Jammu and Kashmir. Notably, voting is also underway in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, marking a significant election in Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Simultaneously, voting is taking place for all 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 in Odisha. Over 19 lakh polling officials have been deployed across 1.92 lakh polling stations to facilitate the electoral process for over 17.70 crore eligible voters in this phase.

Prominent candidates vying for electoral victory include Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Union minister Giriraj Singh, TMC's Mohua Moitra, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former cricketer Yusuf Pathan of TMC, and Andhra Pradesh Congress president YS Sharmila.

The Lok Sabha elections, spanning seven phases from April 19 to June 1, are a crucial democratic exercise for the country. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4, with anticipation and speculation running high regarding the outcomes and implications of this electoral process.