60% turnout in this year's LS elections

62 per cent turnout in final phase.

An estimated 62 per cent of the electorate today exercised their franchise in the fifth and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, bringing down the curtains on the month-long exercise. Overall, the staggered elections witnessed a turnout of 59-60 per cent, Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla said here today. Himachal Pradesh saw a turnout of 55 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla 40 to 45 per cent and Ladakh witnessed a 60-65 per cent polling.

In the second phase of polling in Punjab, about 65 per cent voters exercised their franchise, while Uttarakhand saw a turnout of 50-55 per cent, Puducherry 75 per cent, Chandigarh 65 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 50-55 per cent.

About 70 per cent turnout was recorded in the 11 constituencies in West Bengal, which went to polls, which passed off rather peacefully except the killing of a local CPI(M) leader allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists.

This apart, Tamil Nadu registered a turnout of 60-62 per cent. Among the high-profile candidates included Home Minister P Chidambaram, DMK’s T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and M K Azhagiri.

Madurai, where Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s son M K Azhagiri had contested, reported the highest — 57 per cent, while Chennai witnessed 44 per cent polling till late afternoon. Northern parts of Tamil Nadu registered an estimated 40 per cent polling, official sources said.

The final round of voting saw stray incidents of violence amid voting in 86 constituencies across nine states and two union territories.

Fifty-two per cent of the voters turned out in 14 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh spread across the Rohillakhand region and western part of the state, which put to test the Muslim-Yadav vote bank of the Samajwadi Party.

Congress candidate Mohammad Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and Samajwadi Party candidate Jayaprada were in the fray in the state.