The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in five constituencies in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region concluded peacefully on Friday without any major untoward incidents. The voter turnout averaged at 55.35% until 6 p.m., a figure similar to the turnout recorded during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, albeit lower than the 64% turnout in 2014.
The total number of voters in these five constituencies – Nagpur, Chandrapur, Ramtek (SC), Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), and Bhandara-Gondia – stands at 95,54,667, comprising 48,28,142 male voters, 47,26,178 female, and 347 transgender voters.
Voting commenced at 7 a.m. but the voter participation rate increased gradually as the day matured, reaching its peak between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., with long queues persisting even after the official polling hour of 6 p.m. However, voters who arrived at the polling stations before the deadline were allowed to cast their votes. Officials said that voting took place at 10,652 polling centres with 21,527 ballot units, 13,963 control units, and 14,755 VVPAT machines available.
In five Assembly segments, spread across two Lok Sabha seats, including Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur, and Bhandara-Gondia, voting concluded at 3 p.m. “The polling concluded peacefully without any incidents. Although the official cut-off time was 3 p.m., individuals were observed standing in queues until 5 p.m. However, technically, polling only concludes on Saturday evening for us, once all the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the booths in sensitive and hypersensitive areas are returned to the strongroom. Polling personnel and EVMs deployed in those areas will be airlifted by Saturday evening,” Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police, Neelotpal, told The Hindu.
The western State sends 48 MPs to the Lower House, the largest number after Uttar Pradesh’s 80. Polling in the 43 other Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will be held in four more phases later this month and in May.
As many as 97 candidates, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is eyeing a third term after winning the Nagpur seat for BJP in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, were in the fray for these five seats in the first phase. While four seats witnessed head-to-head contests between the BJP and the Congress candidates, Ramtek saw an electoral showdown between the Congress and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
Earlier in the day, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, Mr. Gadkari, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit were among those who voted in Nagpur.
Calling the elections the biggest festival of democracy, Mr. Gadkari said, “I will certainly win the elections by a huge margin. I hope that people in the country will use their right to vote, which is their responsibility as well.” Gadkari said the voter turnout last time was 54% and expressed hope that it would go up to 75% this time. However, Nagpur recorded the lowest voter turnout in all five seats with an average of 49%, while Gadchiroli-Chimur topped the voter turnout with 66.27%, followed by 55.87% in Bhandara-Gondia and 55.11 % in Chandrapur. Ramtek, a constituency with a mix of Nagpur’s semi-urban and rural voters, which was previously represented by former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1984 and 1989, recorded 52.38% voter turnout. It is the only Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra from which a former MP ascended to become the country’s Prime Minister.
Congress candidate Vikas Thakre was pitted against Mr. Gadkari, in Chandrapur, while State Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar faced Congress’ Pratibha Dhanorkar in Chandrapur. The seat was held by her late husband, Suresh ‘Balu’ Dhanorkar, who passed away last year. In Ramtek, Congress’ Shamsundar Barve faced off against Raju Parwe, a former Congress MLA from Umred who recently switched allegiance to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sunil Mendhe, who was pitted against Congress’ Dr .Prashant Patole. Two-time Lok Sabha MP of BJP, Ashok Nete, contested against Congress nominee Dr. Namdev Kirsan in Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), where some areas are affected by Naxal insurgency.
Rainbow theme polling station
In the Panchpavli area of North Nagpur, authorities set up a polling station adorned with a rainbow theme. Eligible voters from the transgender community and expressed gratitude to the administration for providing such an inclusive polling station for the LGBTQ+ community members.
