50.71 pc voter turnout till 3 pm in phase 3 Lok Sabha polls; West Bengal records 63.11 pc polling

New Delhi: The voter turnout was recorded at approximately 50.71 per cent across 93 constituencies that voted in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday till 3 pm, according to Election Commission of India data.

West Bengal is witnessing a high voter turnout of 63.11 per cent as per the ECI data till 3 pm and the lowest was recorded in Maharashtra, where it was recorded at 42.63 per cent.

Voting percentages for other states participating in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls as of 3 pm are: Assam--63.08 per cent, Bihar--46.69 per cent, Chhattisgarh--58.19 per cent, Goa -- 61.39 per cent, Gujarat--47.03 per cent, Karnataka--54.20 per cent, Madhya Pradesh--54.09 per cent and Uttar Pradesh--46.78 per cent.

Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded 52.43 per cent voter turnout till 3 pm.

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.

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 contesting 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.