13 May : The elections to Lok Sabha ended on Wednesday with the fifth and final phase of elections witnessing an overall 62 percent polling for 86 constituencies across nine states and two union territories.
The Congress-led UPA is looking for a new term in office while the NDA steered by the BJP is trying to end its term in the opposition, although it isn’t clear if one of them would on their own be able to muster the 272 seats needed to stake claim for power.
Meanwhile CPI-M chief Prakash Karat said, leaders of non-Congress, non-BJP will meet in New Delhi on next Monday to decide the future course of action.
Talking to media, He said, BSP will join these discussions where the possibilities of forming an alternative secular government will be explored.
The fifth and final phase on Wednesday saw elections to 86 constituencies across nine states and two union territories, including all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu.The maximum 75 percent votes were polled in Puducherry followed by West Bengal where 70 percent of the electorate cast their vote. In Tamil Nadu 60 to 62 percent, in Punjab 60 to 65, in Himachal Pradesh 55, in UP 52 and in Uttrakhand 50 to 55 percent votes were cast.
In Jammu and Khasmir while 40 to 45 percent votes were polled in Baramulla, 60 to 65 percent voters exercised their franchise in Ladakh.The over all turn out in all five phases polling was between fifty nine to 60 percent.
23 persons were killed in the poll related violence in all the phases of elections which were spread over a period of almost a month while there were 14 accidental deaths.
The Chief Election Commissioner, Navin Chawla told media persons on Wednesday that barring a few violent incidents, the elections in all the five phases was by and large peaceful. He said the Commission was highly satisfied with the conduct of elections, the biggest democratic exercise in the world.
In West Bengal, polling has begun in 101 booths under Mathurapur Parliamentary constituency of South 24 Parganas district on Thursday. The polling was adjourned in these booths on Wednesday following damages in EVMs caused by rain.
Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer of the state Devashish Sen told in Kolkata that the Election Commission has sought a report from the district administration on seepage of water into EVMs.
In Gothara village in Dausa constituency of Rajasthan on 10th May during repolling one person was killed in police firing in this village. After this incident, repolling was cancelled. Tight security arrangements have been made for repolling on Thursday.
Voting will be held in two polling stations in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday as polling party could not reach there due to bad weather. Counting of votes will be held on Saturday.
