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Journalism of Courage
Voting in Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections Monday saw 57.38 per cent voter turnout with the highest polling percentage in West Bengal (73%) and the lowest in Maharashtra (48.88%), said the Election Commission. Maharashtra voted for 13 constituencies, including six in Mumbai, with seven seats going to polls in West Bengal and 14 in Uttar Pradesh. The phase included some prominent names in the fray, especially in Uttar Pradesh, which saw Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contesting from Rae Bareli and sitting BJP MP Smriti Irani fighting it out in Amethi – both traditional Gandhi bastions.
Here are the key highlights on polling day.
📌 More than 1000 poll-related complaints in West Bengal
The Election Commission received over 1,000 complaints from various political parties in West Bengal related to malfunctioning EVMs, agents being stopped from entering polling booths, and voters being threatened or stopped from going to cast their votes in different constituencies. Among the complaints, several were about minor political clashes taking place in Bangaon, Hooghly and Arambagh constituencies.
Even before polling booths opened up for voters this morning, BJP MP and candidate from West Bengal’s Barrackpore Arjun Singh accused TMC candidate Partha Bhowmick of distributing money on Sunday night ahead of polling. “A complaint has already been made to the Election Commission…If such things keep happening, it will not be good for Partha Bhowmick (TMC candidate)…We will try to have peaceful elections but if that doesn’t happen, government would be responsible for it…,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
📌 Politicians highlight slow voting, inconveniences in Mumbai booths
Maharshtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requested the Election Commission to look into complaints regarding the slow pace of voting in Mumbai. Fadnavis also asked the EC officials to take up the matter with Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban District collectors.
Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad also pointed out that citizens were having to wait for several hours in the queue amid the heat owing to the slow voting process, with some returning without casting their votes. “Many of them say they have never waited this long to vote before. There are also complaints that this phenomenon is more visible in areas where INDIA-MVA has a strong presence,” Gaikwad said in a post on X. The Mumbai-North Lok Sabha candidate also requested the EC and Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer to address the complaints and take appropriate measures for the same.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya also cast their vote in Mumbai. Uddhav also slammed the slow polling in the state, alleging that there was enthusiasm among voters, but “the electoral commission representatives sitting in the polling stations” were causing delay. Taking to X, Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya said, “A lot of complaints from voters about the facilities outside the booths @ECISVEEP Atleast having the voter lines in shade/ fans could help. They don’t want much, just basics to stay cool. Please look into it.”
📌 J-K witnesses first major poll battle post Article 370 abrogation
Five years after the abrogation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its first major poll battle. North Kashmir’s Baramulla went to polls today, with J&K People’s Conference president Sajad Lone pitted against former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah. Awami Ittehad Party chairman Abdul Rashid Sheikh (Engineer Rashid), who remains incarcerated at Tihar jail in New Delhi since August 2019 on terror funding charges, and PDP’s Mir Mohammad Fayaz, were also in the race.
The constituency saw a record turnout at 54.67%, the highest since 1984. Significantly, for the first time in three decades, the twin towns of Sopore and Baramulla – the Separatist bastions that always heeded election boycotts in the past – kept a date with polling, registering a turnout of 40.1% and 48.2% respectively. The constituency is spread over 18 assembly segments in the three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora, and also includes two segments of Budgam that were included on the recommendations of the delimitation commission two years ago, officials said.
