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There has been a substantial increase in the voter turnout in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election with Bengal leading the charts with 32.82 per cent till 11 am, according to the Election Commission of India's data.
Goa is also witnessing a high voter turnout of 30.94 per cent. Maharashtra is still lagging at 18.18 per cent turnout till 11 am. Voting percentages for other states participating in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls as of 11 am are-- Assam--27.34 per cent, Bihar--24.41 per cent, Chhattisgarh--29.90 per cent, Gujarat--24.35 per cent, Karnataka--24.48 per cent, Madhya Pradesh--30.21 per cent and Uttar Pradesh--26.12 per cent. Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded 24.69 per cent voter turnout till 11 am. Leaders from the ruling BJP and other parties have urged the voters to come out in large numbers and participate in the largest festival of democracy. Meanwhile, in this phase, more than 1300 candidates, including around 120 women, are in the fray. A total of 17.24 crore voters are eligible to cast their franchise in this phase at 1.85 lakh polling stations. Earlier, PM Modi cast his vote at Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The Prime Minister was welcomed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah when he arrived at the polling booth. Prominent leaders to contest in today's poll battle include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Digvijaya Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav, and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, among others. In the 2019 general election, the BJP won 72 of the 93 seats that go to the polls today. Voting will not take place for Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday as the Election Commission of India (ECI) has postponed the polling to the sixth phase to be held on May 25. Originally, voting was scheduled to be held on 94 Lok Sabha seats in the third phase. The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)
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