Nearly 8.5 lakh people did not cast their vote despite exhaustive awareness campaigns by polling officials With nearly 8.5 lakh people enrolled to vote here not exercising their franchise on Sunday, the voter turnout in Delhi dropped by about 5% as compared to the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Chief Election Officer Ranbir Singh said he had expected a higher turnout as officials at his office and at the district level had worked hard on voter awareness and motivational campaigns. “The drop in turnout was disappointing,” he said. Since the announcement of the election dates, the CEO’s office and the district officials had undertaken several voter awareness programmes, including putting up posters and advertisements on public transport, billboards, messages on radio, exhibitions in malls and public parks, ‘awareness runs’ and Sufi concerts among other measures. While the final voter turnout numbers would be known only after the EVM machines are verified, Mr. Singh said he estimates it to be around 60%-61%. The Election Commission’s voter turnout app estimated it at 60.5% on Sunday evening. The highest turnout was registered in North East Delhi, which witnessed a pitched battle between the Congress’ Sheila Dikshit and the BJP’s Manoj Tiwari, at 63.41% and the lowest turnout was seen in the New Delhi constituency at 56.9%, according to the app. Slow start The voter turnout percentage progressed steadily during the day, at an average of about 11% every two hours, in all seven constituencies. While the total number of voters in the city is 1.43 crore, the estimated total number of eligible voters is 1.93 crore. Mr. Singh suggested that the reason for the lower turnout had to do with the timing of the election. He pointed out that during the 2014 Lok Sabha election, voting took place on April 10, a time of the year when the temperature is comparatively lower. The current average temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius. He also said that because of the ongoing summer vacations in schools, people may have left the city and gone on holidays. Polling on a Sunday may have also played a role as people often have weekend plans, he added. Looking ahead, he said he believed there will be better turnout during the Assembly elections, to be held in February next year, when the weather would be better. The polling process was delayed in some areas because of defects detected during mock polls in the beginning of the day. However, everyone who queued up before close of polls at 6 p.m. was given a chit and allowed to vote, said Mr. Singh.<doc-sep>Election 2019: It is expected that the poll percentage may improve towards the evening The national capital territory of Delhi, where seven Lok Sabha seats are at stake, logged just 44.90 per cent polling till 3 pm. According to the Election Commission of India''s (ECI) Voter Turnout App, the voting percentage at 3 pm remained low with only 44.90 per cent voters having cast their votes. The initial enthusiasm among voters of the national capital slightly dwindled with the increasing temperature and blazing sun, while leaders cutting across party lines appealed to the voters to exercise their right to franchise. The voter turnout in Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency at 3 pm was 44.90 per cent, in North East Delhi it is 47.36 per cent, in East Delhi 46.70 per cent, in New Delhi 42.86 per cent. Similarly, for North West Delhi and West Delhi, the voter turnout at 3 pm was 45.51 per cent and 44.33 per cent respectively. The lowest turnout was recorded in South Delhi parliamentary constituency with 42.51 per cent voters having their democratic franchise. It is expected that the poll percentage may improve towards the evening with more people coming out to cast their ballot. While the polling percentage reflected a less than enough enthusiasm among Delhi voters, prominent leaders having their names in Delhi voter slip came out in large numbers to cast their vote. President Ram Nath Kovind, along with the First Lady Savita Kovind, went to polling booth number 10 in Rashtrapati Bhavan premises this morning to exercise their votes. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi voted at a booth in Nirman Bhavan, while Union Minister and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj showed-off her inked-finger at a polling station in Aurangzeb Lane. Political heavyweights like Congress president Rahul Gandhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Sheila Dikshit, Ajay Maken, and Gautam Gambhir also cast their votes. Congress general secretary for UP East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied by her husband Robert cast her vote at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Lodhi Estate area. Rahul Gandhi voted at a polling booth in NP Senior Secondary School in Aurangzeb Lane. He said that "love would win" in these elections. Cricketers Virat Kohli and Kapil Dev also voted in the national capital. While the seven seats in the national capital are at stake, the voting is taking place for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in Haryana, 8 each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, and four in Jharkhand. The seventh and last phase of elections will be held on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.<doc-sep>Election 2019: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Shiela Dixit voted in Delhi today. As Delhi and neighbouring Gurgaon were polling yesterday, several top politicians as well as celebrities went to vote in the sixth phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Among the star voters were President Ram Nath Kovind, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose party has fielded candidates in all seven seats in Delhi, also voted at a polling booth in Civil Lines. Prominent candidates in Delhi are Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwari of the BJP, Atishi and Raghav Chadha of the AAP, and Sheila Dixit and Ajay Maken of the Congress. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan is also seeking reelection Delhi's Chandni Chowk. The contest in Gurgaon is mainly between sitting BJP MP Rao Inderjit Singh and Captain Ajay Singh Yadav of the Congress. Mehmood Khan of the Jannayak Janata Party-Aam Aadmi Party alliance and Virender Rana of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are also in the fray. Cricketer Virat Kohli was among the early voters who turned up at a polling booth in Gurgaon. Even though Delhi only sends seven MPs to the 545-seat Lok Sabha, it is considered a crucial indicator to who will form the government in the Centre. It has been observed that since 1998, whichever party has got the higher number of seats in Delhi has also gone ahead to win the overall general election. In 2014, all 7 seats were won by the BJP. Voting began at 7 am today for the 59 parliamentary constituencies going to polls across six states and one union territory. After today's voting, polling for the 2019 general elections will be complete in 483 of the total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. The result for all 543 seats will be declared together on May 23. Here are the highlights of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Delhi, and neighbouring Gurgaon: May 12, 2019 21:30 (IST) Lok Sabha Election 2019: Several Delhi Citizens Find Their Names Missing From Voters' List Mohammad Shokeen and twelve members of his family were among the several voters in Delhi who could not cast their votes on Sunday as their names were missing from voter's list despite them living at same address for 32 years. Mohammad Shokeen and twelve members of his family were among the several voters in Delhi who could not cast their votes on Sunday as their names were missing from voter's list despite them living at same address for 32 years. May 12, 2019 21:20 (IST) The maximum number of VVPAT machines which faced glitches were changed in the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency while the minimum were replaced in the Northeast segment which delayed the poll process Sunday, the Election Commission officials told news agency PTI. May 12, 2019 20:56 (IST) Delhi recorded a voter turnout of around 60 per cent for the seven Lok Sabha seats, five percentage points down from the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Delhi chief electoral officer said on Sunday. In 2014, it was around 65 per cent. May 12, 2019 19:35 (IST) Delhi's provisional voters' turnout is 56.77 per cent till 7 pm May 12, 2019 17:13 (IST) AAP Alleges "Bogus Voting" In Delhi "There is one person who was caught by us voting continuously in the booth. People want to get rid of Ramesh Bidhuri as they are fed up of his abusive behaviour. Due to this factor, BJP is employing unfair means but we would not allow this to continue. The person who was engaged in bogus voting has been caught and the police inspector employed at the booth who was lax in carrying out his duty has been removed from here," AAP Candidate Raghav Chadha said May 12, 2019 17:13 (IST) AAP Alleges "Bogus Voting" In Delhi "There is one person who was caught by us voting continuously in the booth. People want to get rid of Ramesh Bidhuri as they are fed up of his abusive behaviour. Due to this factor, BJP is employing unfair means but we would not allow this to continue. The person who was engaged in bogus voting has been caught and the police inspector employed at the booth who was lax in carrying out his duty has been removed from here," AAP Candidate Raghav Chadha said May 12, 2019 16:16 (IST) Former president Pranab Mukherjee voted at a polling station in K Kamraj Lane, during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in New Delhi. Mr Mukherjee didn't vote in 2014 Lok Sabha polls to affirm the view that the President's post should be seen as neutral. Former president Pranab Mukherjee voted at a polling station in K Kamraj Lane, during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in New Delhi. May 12, 2019 14:47 (IST) Voting In India Has Been "A Really Inspiring Experience" Australia's Envoy Harinder Sidhu "It's been a really inspiring experience. How can you get so many people to voting? The answer is a well-organised Election Commission and its officials. It's a good and organised "I'm really impressed with EVMs, we don't have those in Australia. I think even with paper ballots which we have in Australia, it's always a case where there's a risk to integrity in any system. VVPAT is actually a good development." May 12, 2019 14:17 (IST) Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 6 LIVE: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Votes In Greater Kailash Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and his family members voted during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, at a polling booth in Delhi's Greater Kailash. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and his family members voted during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, at a polling booth in Delhi's Greater Kailash. May 12, 2019 14:09 (IST) Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 6 LIVE: Chief Election Commissioner Votes In Delhi Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora voted a polling station, at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, along with his family Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora voted a polling station, at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, along with his family<doc-sep>At 3 pm, the voting percentage in Delhi was among the lowest with the state recording 45.16% turnout on Friday when 50 seats went to polls in 7 states in the sixth and penultimate phase of Lok Sabha elections . Bihar was the lowest with 44.40 per cent voting and Bengal the highest with 70.51 %, , according to figures released by the Election Commission. Uttar Pradesh recorded 43.26 % voter turnout, Haryana- 51.68%, Madhya Pradesh 52.62% and Jharkhand 58.08%. WATCH: LS polls | In BJP vs Cong vs AAP war, does Delhi mood foretell 2019 result? Follow live updates here The day started with the Prime Minister appealing to the voters to come out in large numbers. “Yet another phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is here! Urging all those whose constituencies are polling in today’s sixth phase to go out and vote,” the Prime Minister tweeted. “I hope youngsters are voting in record numbers. After all, their participation makes the polls even more special,” he wrote. Read: Delhi votes with 6 states in round 6 of Lok Sabha polls, one more lap to go The Prime Minister has tweeted ahead of every phase since the first one to remind voters to cast their franchise. Fifty-nine parliamentary seats are going to the polls in seven states in the sixth of the seven-phased election with a number of high-profile fights in regions where the BJP performed well five years ago. Also read: ‘BJP is on its way out,’ says Priyanka Gandhi after casting her vote<doc-sep>
Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats logged 60.17% polling in the sixth round of the general elections across 59 constituencies on Sunday, with North East Delhi recording the highest figure of 63.41% as the Capital’s electorate sealed its verdict in the triangular contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. The Election Commission said that the overall provisional turnout for Phase 6 was 63.67% till 10pm against the 2014 figure of 63.69%. West Bengal, which witnessed more political violence in the latest round of voting, topped the chart with 80.39% voting. The national capital witnessed a dip in turnout compared to the 2014 figure of 65.1%, with Delhi’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh saying it did not meet expectations. While the provisional turnout figure for Delhi was lower than the figure of the previous general elections, it was the third-highest since 1977, according to official data. The voting percentage may go up after more details are received, the commission said. The East Delhi seat recorded 59.63% voting, followed by New Delhi and South Delhi, which saw 56.9% and 58.59% polling respectively. West Delhi logged 60.64% voting, while North West Delhi recorded a turnout of 58.97%. Chandni Chowk saw a turnout of 62.68%. In Faridabad and Gurgaon, the voter turnouts were 64.48% and 67.38% respectively. Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh is seeking re-election from Gurgaon, while Krishan Pal Gurjar is in the fray from the Faridabad Lok Sabha seat. The polling in Delhi came days after the AAP and the Congress were engaged in protracted talks to stitch up an alliance but failed to strike a consensus to take on the BJP, which currently holds all seven seats in the national capital. In 2009, the Congress had won in all parliamentary constituencies in Delhi. Among those who voted in the national capital on Sunday were President Ram Nath Kovind, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and cricketer Virat Kohli also cast their votes. After voting at a polling booth at Aurangzeb Lane, the Congress chief said “love will win” in the elections, which have seen high-pitched campaigns fuelled by rhetoric, political slugfests and personal attacks among top leaders. Speaking at an election rally in Indore later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an attack on Gandhi, saying dynasty can take him to the top position of a party, but it “doesn’t bring vision and wisdom”. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Delhi electorate to vote for those who have done work and not for those spreading “hatred” and “venom”. As Delhi residents voted on Sunday, complaints of malfunctioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from several places. The AAP’s Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti alleged that EVMs at booths 116, 117 and 122 were not functioning. Polling began late at a few booths because of glitches. The Delhi chief electoral officer said that until 3pm, the poll watchdog replaced 61 ballot units, 35 control units, and 286 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units. The biggest number of glitches was reported in the South Delhi segment. Reports of EVM faults also came in from Chandni Chowk and West Delhi. “One of the reasons [for the lower turnout] could be that this year, the elections coincided with the summer vacations. Many people might have already left the city. This year, elections are being held during the peak summer months. In 2014, elections were held on April 10 when the weather was still comfortable. Also, elections this time in Delhi were held on a weekend,” the Delhi CEO said. About 14.3 million people in the national capital were eligible to vote in the polls that will decide the fate of 164 candidates. The seventh and last phase of elections will be held on May 19 and the counting of votes will take place on May 23. Polling was also held in the sixth phase for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, all 10 in Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal and four in Jharkhand apart from Delhi’s seven seats. With the conclusion of Sunday’s phase, votes have been cast in nearly 89% of the 543 constituencies. Prominent among those contesting in the sixth phase were former chief ministers Akhilesh Yadav, Digvijaya Singh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Sheila Dikshit, and Union minister Maneka Gandhi.