62 per cent turnout in final phase

Vote counting at 1,080 centres across the country to begin on May 16

Barring stray incidents of violence leading to the death of 23 people, the world’s largest democratic exercise was relatively peaceful, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Navin Chawla told reporters here. Chawla was, however, quick to appreciate his predecessor N Gopalaswami, who, not too long back, had recommended his removal from the constitutional position on allegations of “biased behaviour.”

Preparations are now afoot for the vote-counting exercise on May 16. In this context, Chawla said about 1,080 centres have been set up with a deployment of 60,000 counting staff. “Proceedings in all the 4,260 counting halls at the centres will be videographed and a special software put in place for faster display of poll results,” he said.

According to the CEC, “the Lok Sabha polls were satisfactory and peaceful and we are thankful to the former CEC for overseeing the preparations and managing the first phase of the elections”.

Furnishing a break up of the voter turnout in 86 constituencies across nine states and two UTs, which went to the polls on Wednesday, the CEC said while West Bengal topped the list with a 70 per cent turn out, Ladakh and Punjab came a close second with 60-65 per cent. Baramullah in Jammu and Kashmir recorded 45 per cent turn out.

Skirmishes marred polling in some places in Tamil Nadu leaving a local DMK member dead in Dindigul district. The state recorded 60-62 per cent turn out. In 14 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, 52 per cent of voters cast their franchise, while Uttarakhand recorded 50-55 per cent.

Voters’ response in Puducherry was 75 per cent it as against 65 per cent in Chandigarh. Repoll or adjourned poll was conducted in 648 polling stations in various parts of the country in the first four phases of elections.

Maintaining that the basic “homework” for the general elections started last year with the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Chawla said 46.9 lakh poll staff were deployed to undertake the mammoth democratic exercise across 29 states and six Union Territories.

He also said that due to an increase in the number of candidates the Election Commission  had earlier prepared a contingency plan for holding the fifth phase of elections through ballot papers and not through electronic voting machines.

“We have presently around 15 lakh EVMs and we need to have more. Otherwise, there will be a contingency plan to use ballot papers if there are too many candidates in some constituencies,” he said.