NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday released the updated voter turnout statistics for Phase 4 of Lok Sabha elections to 69.16 per cent with Andhra Pradesh topping the list with 80.66 per cent people voting.  The 2024 elections are being held in the summer, and several parts of the country are reeling under scorching heat.

According to a statement, 69.58 per cent of men and 68.73 per cent of women voted in 96 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls during phase 4 on May 14. On May 13 at midnight, the Voter Turnout App reported 67.7 per cent voter turnout pending the uploading of data from some polling stations.

Polling for Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections was held on May 13 for 96 seats in 10 States and Union Territories went to the polls. Andhra Pradesh (25), Telangana (17), Uttar Pradesh (13), Maharashtra (11), Madhya Pradesh (8), West Bengal (8), Bihar (5), Odisha (4) and Jammu and Kashmir (1) went to polls in this round of voting. Voters in Andhra Pradesh also voted to elect their representatives for the 175-member State Assembly. Also, 28 Legislative Assembly seats in Odisha went to the polls on Monday.

Jammu and Kashmir, where one seat – Srinagar – went to polls, had the lowest turnout at 38.49 per cent, but it created a record as it was the highest since 1998 when 30.68 per cent was recorded. In 2019, only 14.43 per cent of voting was recorded in Srinagar, where the first polls were held after the abrogation of Article 370. West Bengal reported an 80.22 per cent turnout in Phase 4 followed by Odisha 75.68 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 72.05 per cent, Jharkhand 66.01 per cent, Telangana 65.67 per cent, Maharashtra 62.21 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 58.22 per cent and Bihar 58.21 per cent. While the Srinagar seat had the lowest turnout, Hyderabad (48.48 per cent) and Secunderabad were the only two other constituencies that polled less than 50 per cent.

The figures have revealed the continued trend of a dip in voter turnaround in 2024 Lok Sabha elections as considering that the turnout in these seats was 68.8 per cent in 2019. Continuing the trend of a dip in voter turnout this Lok Sabha elections, the 96 constituencies across 10 states and Union territories which voted in the fourth phase on Monday saw 67.25 per cent polling, as per the Election Commission’s estimates at 11.45 pm. The turnout in these seats was 68.8 per cent in 2019

However, the notable point is that the turnout gap has narrowed as compared to the earlier phases of the long-drawn election process. In the first phase, when 102 constituencies went to polls, the final turnout was 66.14 per cent, down from 69.89 per cent in 2019. In the second phase, in which 88 seats voted, the final turnout was 66.71 per cent, down from 69.64 per cent in 2019. In the third phase, across 93 constituencies, the final turnout was 65.68 per cent as compared to 67.3 per cent in 2019.