Round-up of the Phase 7 Polling Day

Phase 7 saw polling in 59 constituencies across 7 States and 1 Union Territory

In the last and final phase of polling in 2019 general elections, seven states and one Union Territory conducted voting. The overall voter turnout during Phase 7 was 63.98 percent. Overall, 2019 has witnessed 3 crore additional voters (over 2014) cast their vote. The gap between the number of female and male voters has also narrowed down from 1.4 percent in 2014 to 0.4 percent in 2019. In 2009, the gap was substantially higher at 9 percent. The state-wise voter turnout was:

Bihar: 53.36 percent
Chandigarh: 63.57 percent
Himachal Pradesh: 70.40 percent
Jharkhand: 71.16 percent
Madhya Pradesh: 75.38 percent
Punjab: 64.71 percent
Uttar Pradesh: 58.01 percent
West Bengal: 73.51 percent

With the last phase of polling completed, all attention turned to Exit Polls. All such polls have forecast that the BJP-led NDA is getting 300 plus seats and Narendra Modi would get another term as Prime Minister. The Election Commissioner thanked all stakeholders for assisting in the conduct of the 17th Lok Sabha polls in a fair and free manner. The final results will be announced on May 23, 2019. As per EC officials, postal ballots will first be counted while paper slips of five VVPATs per assembly will be taken up for counting in the end.

Bihar

2019 voter turnout: 53.36 percent Voting conducted in 8 constituencies – Nalanda, Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Sasaram (SC), Karakat, and Jahanabad. The turnout of voters was the lowest among all states conducting the polls in Phase 7. In 2014, the voter turnout was 56.26 percent (all phases). The big contest was witnessed in Patna Sahib, where union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) challenged the incumbent MP, Shatrughan Sinha (INC). There was a clash reported in one of the areas of Arrah. Other than that, the polls were largely peaceful in this phase.

Chandigarh

2019 voter turnout: 63.57 percent Voting conducted in one constituency – Chandigarh. At 63.57 percent, Chandigarh registered the third lowest turnover. In 2014, Chandigarh had recorded 73.71 percent (all phases). The city witnessed a close fight between incumbent MP Kirron Kher (BJP) and Pavan Bansal (INC).

Himachal Pradesh

2019 voter turnout: 70.40 percent Voting conducted in 4 constituencies – Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, and Shimla (SC). Despite difficulties of terrain, Himachal Pradesh recorded a reasonably high voter turnout. In 2014, the turnout recorded was 64.45 percent (all phases). The highlight was independent India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi (102 years) arriving at the Kalpa booth to cast his vote. He was welcomed by district officials to the accompaniment of music from traditional musical instruments. Kalpa is located at a height of 9,711 ft in Kinnaur district. It was the 32nd time he cast his vote.

Jharkhand

2019 voter turnout: 71.16 percent Voting conducted in 3 constituencies – Rajmahal (ST), Dumka (ST), and Godda. The third highest voter turnout was witnessed in Jharkhand. In 2014, the state registered a voter turnout of 63.82 percent (all phases).

Madhya Pradesh

2019 voter turnout: 75.38 percent Voting conducted in 8 constituencies – Dewas (SC), Ujjain (SC), Mandsaur, Ratlam (ST), Dhar (ST), Indore, Khargone (ST), and Khandwa. Madhya Pradesh saw the highest voter turnout in Phase 7. In 2014, the voter turnout recorded was 61.61 percent (all phases). Voters boycotted the polls over some local demands at a booth in Agar Malwa under the Dewas constituency, and at five booths in Mandsaur.

Punjab

2019 voter turnout: 64.71 percent Voting conducted in 13 constituencies – Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar (SC), Hoshiarpur (SC), Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib (SC), Faridkot (SC), Firozpur, Bhatinda, Sangrur, and Patiala. The entire state of Punjab conducted its voting in a single phase. In 2014, Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 70.63 percent, so it was expected the turnout in these elections would be high, but the state recorded a substantially lower turnout this time.

Uttar Pradesh

2019 voter turnout: 58.01 percent Voting conducted in 13 constituencies – Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushi Nagar, Deoria, Bansgaon (SC), Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Robertsganj (SC). Uttar Pradesh recorded the second lowest turnout. In 2014, U.P. had recorded marginally higher 58.44 percent.

West Bengal

2019 voter turnout: 73.51 percent Voting conducted in 9 constituencies – Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar (SC), Mathurapur (SC), Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar. At 73.51 percent, West Bengal registered the second highest voter turnout during this phase. In 2014, the voter turnout was 82.22 percent (all phases). Violent clashes among the supporters of TMC, BJP and security forces in some areas marred the otherwise good turnout. Several cases were reported involving smashing of cars, hurling of crude bombs, voter intimidation, voting denial, proxy voting, and baton charge. Scattered cases of EVM malfunctioning delayed the voting process in some booths. Related Links: Round-up of the Phase 6 Polling Day Round-up of the Phase 5 Polling Day Round-up of the Phase 4 Polling Day Round-up of the Phase 3 Polling Day Voting Pattern in Phase 2 of 2019 General Elections Mirrors 2014