Lok Sabha elections phase 7 LIVE: 26 pc turnout till 11 am, Cong claims house arrests in Varanasi

A voter turnout of 26.3 per cent was recorded till 11.00 am in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections across 57 parliamentary constituencies in eight states and Union Territories today.

In 2019, the parties which now form the Opposition INDIA bloc won 19 of the 57 seats, with a vote share of 37.52 per cent. The BJP-led NDA coalition won 30, with 39.03 per cent of the votes. The BJP alone won 25 seats, with Trinamool Congress and Congress winning nine and eight respectively.

The voter turnout for the previous six phases, as per data released by the Election Commission of India, stands at 66.14 per cent for phase 1, 66.71 per cent for phase 2, 65.68 per cent for phase 3, 69.16 per cent for phase 4, 62.20 per cent for phase 5 and 63.37 per cent for phase 6.

Himachal Pradesh – 31.92 per cent

Jharkhand – 29.55 per cent

West Bengal – 28.1 per cent

Uttar Pradesh – 28.02 per cent

Chandigarh (UT) – 25.03 per cent

Bihar – 24.25 per cent

Punjab – 23.91 per cent

Odisha – 22.64 per cent

To maintain law and order, the Election Commission has decided to retain 400 companies of Central forces in West Bengal till 6 June, a senior official said on Friday. "After the 1 June polling, half of the central forces will leave the state and 400 companies will remain until June 6. Battalions of the BSF, CRPF, and SSB will be retained," he told PTI.

On Friday night, Kolkata Police seized over Rs 10 lakh from four bikers during checking near Howrah Bridge. They were detained, police added.

Elsewhere, clashes were reported in the Satuliya area of Bhangar, part of the Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata, between Indian Secular Front (ISF) and CPI(M) supporters. The clashes reportedly led to several injuries among ISF members, some of them from country-made bombs.

In Kultali of South 24 Parganas district, an angry mob barged into polling stations, seizing an electronic voting machine (EVM) and throwing it in a nearby pond. The incident occurred after some polling agents were allegedly barred from entering the booths, prompting local residents to retaliate by seizing the EVM equipped with voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT). However, the CEO West Bengal clarified in an X post that the EVM was not in use and had been kept in reserve.

“Today morning at 6.40 am Reserve EVMs & papers of Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school, at 129-Kultali AC of 19-Jaynagar (SC) PC has been looted by local mob and 1 CU, 1 BU , 2VVPAT machines have been thrown inside a pond," the post said.

"Sector Police was a little behind. FIR has been lodged by Sector Officer and necessary action has been initiated. Poll process in all six booths under the Sector is running uninterrupted. Fresh EVM and papers have been provided to the Sector Officer.”

Uttar Pradesh recorded a polling percentage of 12.94 till 9.00 am as voting. Polling is being held in 13 constituencies of the state, including Varanasi, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.

At the start of the 18th Lok Sabha elections in mid-April, UP was considered a 'safe' zone for the BJP, which won 62 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. The picture, however, is not as rosy now. Read more in our special report.

In Varanasi, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, who is contesting against PM Modi, has said the administration is trying to influence the voting by putting INDIA bloc leaders/workers under house arrest. In a post in Hindi on X, he wrote, "Right now, Congress councillor and party leader Gulshan Ali ji has been put under house arrest. When I asked why this has happened, I did not get any proper answer."

'This festival of democracy will be considered successful only when the democratic powers defeat the dictatorial powers,' the Congress leader said.

'Today, when you press the EVM button for 57 seats in 8 states and Union territories, think about the Preamble of the Constitution - 'We the people of India,'' he said in a social media post in Hindi, on X.

Kharge also urged people to think about the future of farmers, youth, workers, women and Dalit, tribal and OBC communities: 'Will you push them into the swamp of injustice, oppression and inequality for another five years or will you create a brighter, better and just future for them?' he asked.

Kharge also welcomed first-time voters, saying youngsters who are going to vote for the first time have a big responsibility on their shoulders.

'The battle is now in its final phase. The public has stood firmly with us in every phase. After six phases, people want to see us win,' Kharge said.

According to the Election Commission's (EC) guidelines, television channels and news outlets will be able to run exit poll data and its results after 6:30 pm.

The poll panel has called upon voters to turn out in greater numbers and vote with responsibility and pride.

The turnout in the first six phases of the general election has been 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent, 65.68 per cent, 69.16 per cent, 62.2 per cent and 63.36 per cent respectively.

More than 10.06 crore citizens, including nearly 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women and 3,574 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this phase.

This marks the end of the marathon polling process that began on 19 April.

The assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls, while the Odisha assembly completes polling today as well.

The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha seats will be taken up on 4 June.

In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the counting for the assembly polls will be held on 2 June.

Thirteen poll personnel deployed in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district died, following high fever and high blood pressure amid heatwave conditions in the region. Twenty-three others have been admitted to a hospital in Mirzapur.

Three more people on election duty died and eight were taken ill with suspected heatstroke in Sonbhadra district, a senior official said on Friday, 31 May.

Of those who died in Mirzapur, seven were home guard jawans, three sanitation workers, one clerk posted at the chief medical officer's office, one chakbandi adhikaari (consolidation officer) and one peon in the home guard team. All were on poll duty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, contesting from Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), and popular entertainer Kangana Ranaut, contesting from Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), are among those who got the benefit of the longest time in the limelight for their election campaigns. Both represent the BJP, of course.

Other 'stars' in the final round include:

• Misa Bharti from Pataliputra (Bihar), daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav, on behalf of the RJD;

• Union minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur (Himachal);

• Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from Bathinda (Punjab);

• Manish Tewari for the INDIA bloc for Chandigarh's sole seat in Parliament;

• And the Trinamool Congress' Abhishek Banerjee, nephew to party matriarch and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, for Diamond Harbour (West Bengal).

Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chandigarh are the states and union territories going to the polls today.

All the constituencies are voting in Punjab (13 seats), Himachal (4) and Chandigarh (1), while for Bihar (8), Uttar Pradesh (13), Jharkhand (3), West Bengal (9) and Odisha (6), this makes up the final round of elections.

Odisha is also completing its state assembly polls today