Phase 5 of polling across India on May 6 recorded an overall voter turnout of 62.56 percent. In 2014, the voter turnout recorded was 61.70 percent. With this round, 78 percent of parliamentary constituencies have completed the voting in 2019 general elections.
Phase 5 saw polling in 51 constituencies across 7 states – U.P, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, J&K, West Bengal, and Bihar.
Uttar Pradesh
2019 Voter turnout: 55.25 percent
Voting was conducted in 14 constituencies – Amethi, Bahraich, Banda, Barabanki, Dhaurahra, Faizabad, Fatehpur, Gonda, Kaiserganj, Kaushambi, Lucknow, Mohanlalganj, Rae Bareli, and Sitapur.
Amethi drew maximum attention and was notable for Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s absence. Rival BJP candidate Smriti Irani complained of vote rigging by force inside a booth by Congress supporters. Some reports of EVM malfunctioning in some booths were received by the EC officials and were addressed promptly.
Madhya Pradesh
2019 Voter turnout: 63.51 percent
Voting was conducted in 7 constituencies – Betul, Damoh, Hoshangabad, Khajuraho, Rewa, Satna, and Tikamgarh.
134 candidates were in contention for the 12 seats, but Jaipur Rural drew maximum attention, with two former Olympians facing each other – Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (BJP) and Krishna Poonia (INC). In Rajasthan, Sri Ganganagar (SC) recorded the highest voter turnout of 68.89 percent. Girdhar Vyas, who claims to have the longest moustache in the world, cast his vote in Bikaner.
Jharkhand
2019 Voter turnout: 64.23% percent
Voting was conducted in 4 constituencies – Hazaribagh, Khunti, Koderma, and Ranchi.
Koderma witnessed the highest voter turnout – 65.70 percent.
Jammu & Kashmir
2019 Voter turnout: 17.07 percent
Voting was conducted in 2 constituencies – Anantnag and Ladakh.
Anantnag completed the third and final round of voting. It recorded the lowest turnout of this year’s elections – 3.6 percent. Several clashes between mobs and security forces were reported post-voting in Anantnag.
At 51.9 percent, Ladakh recorded a better voter turnout and was peaceful.
Bihar
2019 Voter turnout: 57.76 percent
Voting was conducted in 5 constituencies – Sitamarhi, Hajipur, Madhubani, Muzzafarpur, and Saran.
Muzaffarpur saw the highest voter turnout at 61.27 percent.
Polling was largely peaceful in Bihar barring an incident where a voter damaged an EVM. He was arrested. Technical issues involving EVMs were reported from 6 booths in Saran, 2 in Madhubani, and one each in Muzzafarpur and Sitamarhi. Voting in these constituencies was delayed by around thirty minutes.
West Bengal
2019 Voter turnout: 74.15 percent
Voting was conducted in 7 constituencies – Arambagh, Bangaon, Barrackpore, Hooghly, Howrah, Srerampur, and Uluberia.
West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout in the country in Phase 5. Uluberia recorded the highest voter turnout – 77.5 percent, followed by Bangaon and Arambagh at 76.1 percent.
Violent clashes were reported from several places in the state. In Barrackpore, BJP candidate and local strongman Arjun Singh was injured in a scuffle with TMC supporters, when he tried to enter a booth in Naihati area. BJP has called for a repoll in Barrackpore. A media cameraman was injured and a car vandalized in another incident.
In Balitikuri, Howrah ex-footballer and TMC candidate Prasun Banerjee was injured in a baton charge by security forces when he tried entering a booth.
Related Links:
Round-up of the Phase 4 Polling Day
Round-up of the Phase 3 Polling Day
Voting Pattern in Phase 2 of 2019 General Elections Mirrors 2014
