High Voter Turnout Marks Fifth Phase of Lok Sabha Polls in West Bengal

A notable 73% voter turnout was recorded until 5 pm in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. The Arambag constituency led with 76.90%. Over 60,000 central forces and 30,000 policemen were deployed across sensitive polling stations. A total of 88 candidates are competing in this phase.

A voter turnout of 73 per cent was recorded till 5 pm on Monday in seven Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal that went to polls in the fifth phase, an Election Commission official said.

The Arambag parliamentary constituency registered the highest polling at 76.90 per cent, followed by Bangaon at 75.73 per cent, Uluberia at 74.50 per cent, Hooghly at 74.17 per cent, Sreerampur at 71.18 per cent, Howrah and Barrackpore at 68.84 per cent each, he said.

Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

Till 4.30 pm, the state CEO's office received 1,913 complaints in connection with the ongoing polling, he said.

A total of 1,25,23,702 voters, including 61,72,034 women and 348 belonging to the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise across 13,481 polling stations.

The commission has designated over 57 per cent of the polling stations as sensitive and deployed over 60,000 personnel of central forces, in addition to around 30,000 policemen.

The number of security forces deployed for this phase surpasses any of the earlier four rounds of elections in the state.

Altogether 88 candidates are in the fray in the fifth phase, with the highest number of 15 contestants in Bongaon, where Union Minister Shantanu Thakur is fighting against TMC's Biswajit Das.