 "LS polls: PM's Kashi rally; Baramulla logs best turnout in 35 yrs. Updates")
Lok Sabha elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi or Kashi, on Tuesday, where he is set to interact with more than 25,000 women at a conference. For this purpose, an event is being organised at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Kashi as part of an effort to appeal to the women voters, who are the key focus of this year's polls.
The fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections concluded on Monday, and the electoral exercise has concluded in nearly two dozen states and Union territories, the Election Commission said. In the remaining two phases, 114 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls in 10 states and Union territories.
Lok Sabha elections latest updates for May 21:
1) In the fifth phase, the average voter turnout stood at 57.47 per cent with West Bengal recording the highest share at 73 per cent. In Bihar, 52.60 voter turnout was logged; Jammu and Kashmir saw 54.49 per cent turnout; Jharkhand - 63.00 per cent; Ladakh - 67.15 per cent; Maharashtra - 48.88 per cent; Odisha - 60.72 per cent; and Uttar Pradesh - 57.79 per cent.
Baramulla's impressive voter turnout
2) The poll body said the Jammu-Kashmir seat Baramulla, which was among the 49 constituencies to go to polls on Monday, recorded its highest voter turnout in over three decades. "Polling in Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir was completely peaceful with a turnout of 54.49% as at 7:45 pm, and was the highest recorded in 35 years." The impressive turnout was recorded while the district has been plagued by a terrorist attack, which took place on Saturday, killing a former sarpanch. A tourist couple was also injured in the incident.
Uddhav cries foul over poor turnout in Maharashtra
3) As Maharashtra logged the poorest voter turnout in the fifth phase, a political slugfest has erupted over the issue, with former chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray blaming the administration of "deliberately harassing" the voters.
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"Administration is the reason why voting is down. Wherever we have lead, the machine is not properly arranged. Machines are shut down. This is a play of the Modi government. They are in fear of defeat. People are excited. They are being deliberately harassed. This is a game played by the Election Commission. Where our percentage is going to be higher, the turnout is decreasing...The Election Commission is biased. Identity cards are being asked repeatedly in certain communities. The Modi government is using the Election Commission as a doormat for fear of defeat…," Thackeray said.
5) On the issue, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that had requested the EC to look into the complaints of the poor turnout in Mumbai. Notably, the six constituencies in Mumbai logged one of the poorest turnout among all constituencies, hovering below 50 per cent.
Violence clouds West Bengal's polls
6) Though the poll body, in its statement, maintained that the polling across all constituencies was held smoothly and peacefully, sporadic incidents of violence were reported at some seats of West Bengal. Reports of clashes between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged in Barrackpore, Bongaon and Arambagh.
Sambit Patra's remark about Lord Jagannath triggers row
7) A huge political row has erupted in Odisha over BJP leader Sambit Patra's remark on the revered Hindu deity Lord Jagannath. The controversy erupted after Patra referred to Lord Jagannath as a "bhakt" ( devotee) of PM Modi, prompting massive backlash from Opposition leaders, including CM Naveen Patnaik. As the matter escalated, Patra attempted to rectify the situation by suggesting that his remarks were a "slip of tongue." However, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Congress and others continue to denounce the statement, which they deemed as an "insult" to the god. In response, Patra said that he would be "fasting for the next three days to correct" his mistake. Odisha is undergoing a simultanous Assembly elections along with Lok Sabha polls.
Rahul remembers father Rajiv Gandhi on death anniversary
8) Political leaders across the country paid tribute to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on Tuesday, his 33rd death anniversary. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi penned an emotional message for his late father, saying, "Father, your dreams, my dreams, your aspirations, my responsibilities. Your memories, today and always, always in my heart." In a post on 'X', Modi also paid his tributes to the former PM, who was assassinated on this date during a suicide bombing in Tamil Nadu in 1991.