37.56% voting in third phase

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) The third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday saw low to brisk polling till 1 p.m., with West Bengal registering the highest turnout of 52.39 per cent, and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir the lowest of 9.63 per cent. The overall turnout at 1 p.m has been estimated at 37.56 per cent.

According to the Election Commission (EC), the estimated turnout at 1 p.m. was 46.61 per cent for Assam, Bihar (37.05 per cent), Goa (44.97 per cent), Gujarat (39.12 per cent), Karnataka (36.69 per cent), Kerala (39.06 per cent), Maharashtra (30.80 per cent), Odisha (32.82 per cent), Tripura (40.48 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (29.76 per cent), Chattisgarh (42.97 per cent), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (37.20 per cent) and Daman and Diu (41.38 per cent).

Voting began at 7 a.m. across 117 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over 15 states and union territories as the third - and largest - phase of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise kicked off on Tuesday.

Voting also began in Tripura East, which was slated in the second phase on April 18, but was deferred by the EC to the third phase on security concerns.

The polling is staggered in three phases in Jammu and Kasmir'sAnantnag.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, veteran leader L. K. Advani and BJP chief Amit Shah were among those who cast their votes.

Before casting his vote, Modi called on his 98-year-old mother Hiraba at her residence. He then voted in Nishan School in the Ranip area of Ahmedabad under the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency.

After casting his vote, a beaming Modi walked to greet cheering crowds near the polling booth and showed off his inked finger.

Speaking to the media, the Prime Minister said people must vote in large numbers as the power of the Voter ID was stronger than the "IED" (improvised explosive device) used by terrorists.

"Terrorists' weapon is the IED while democracy's strength is Voter ID. I believe that the power of Voter ID is much stronger than the IED. Understand the importance of Voter ID and vote in large numbers," he said.

Modi asked the youth and first-time voters to exercise their franchise. "I welcome the youths for their active participation in making a decisive government."

Shah, who is contesting from Gandhinagar, cast his vote in the Naranpura area and said "each vote is important".

"Each vote is important and a vote can make the country competent," he told the media after he voted.

Voting is taking place for all the seats in Gujarat (26), Kerala (20, Goa (2), the remaining 14 of Karnataka's 28 seats, and for 14 out of the 48 seats in Maharashtra.

Polling is also underway in 10 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 constituencies, the remaining seven out of 11 constituencies in Chhattisgarh, six out of 21 in Odisha, and for five each in Bihar (out of 40) as well as in West Bengal (out of 42).

People also came out to vote in four constituencies in Assam (out of 14), and for the single seats each in the union territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav alleged that EVMs across India were either malfunctioning or only voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Akhilesh Yadav quoted District Magistrates (DMs) as saying that election officials were not trained to operate the electronic voting machines (EVMs). More than 350 of them had been replaced, he said.

"This is criminal negligence for a polling exercise that costs Rs 50,000 crore. Should we believe DMs or is something far more sinister afoot?" he asked.