West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout at 73%, followed by Ladakh at 67.15%.
Photos: PIB via X
May 20 — The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is underway, with voting taking place in 49 constituencies across six states and two Union territories. As of 5 PM, the voter turnout stands at 56.68%, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). West Bengal leads with the highest turnout at 73%, followed by Ladakh at 67.15%.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has encouraged women and young voters to participate in large numbers. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remarked on a “storm of change” sweeping the nation.
At 1 PM, the overall turnout was 36.73%, with Ladakh recording 52.02%, West Bengal at 48.4%, Jharkhand at 41.8%, and Uttar Pradesh at 39.5%. Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir saw 34.79%, while Maharashtra had 27.78%.
The overall turnout for the first four phases is 66.95%, per the ECI’s May 16 statement.
Polling began at 7 AM in Uttar Pradesh (14 seats), Maharashtra (13), West Bengal (7), Bihar (5), Odisha (5), Jharkhand (3), and one seat each in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Key candidates include Rahul Gandhi (Rae Bareli, UP), Smriti Irani (Amethi, UP), Rajnath Singh (Lucknow, UP), Karan Bhushan Singh (Kaiserganj, UP), Rohini Acharya (Saran, Bihar), Chirag Paswan (Hajipur, Bihar), Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North-Central), and Omar Abdullah (Baramulla, J&K).
In addition to the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha are voting today. Over 8.95 crore voters are eligible, including 4.69 crore men, 4.26 crore women, and 5,409 third-gender electors. The phase also includes 7.81 lakh voters aged 85+, and 24,792 voters over 100.
Approximately 9.47 lakh polling officials have been deployed at 94,732 polling stations.
In 2019, the BJP won 32 of these seats, with allies securing seven more. The BJP had over 40% vote share in at least 30 seats. The Congress won just one seat—Raebareli—while its allies, including TMC, won seven. The NDA secured 39 seats overall, with the INDIA bloc and BJD winning eight and two seats, respectively.
By the end of today, over three-fourths of the 543 Lok Sabha seats (428 seats) will have been contested. The final two phases are scheduled for May 25 and June 1, with the vote count on June 4.
The BJP-led NDA aims for a record third term under PM Modi, targeting 400 seats. The opposition, led by Congress under the INDIA bloc, is poised for a robust challenge.
