Maharashtra records 62.37 per cent voting in third phase

Maharashtra recorded a moderate 62.37 per cent voting for the Lok Sabha constituencies in the state that voted in the third phase on Tuesday, election officials said on Wednesday.

Voting was taken up in Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Raigad, Pune, Baramati, Ahmednagar, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hathkanangale constituencies.

While Kolhapur recorded the highest voting at 70.70 per cent, the poorest turnout was in neighbouring Pune at 49.84 per cent.

The other constituencies on the higher side include Hatkanangale (70.28 per cent), Sangli (65.44), Jalna (64.55), Ahmednagar (64.26), Madha (63.58) and Aurangabad (63.41).

Low voting was recorded in Raigad (61.81 per cent), Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg (61.69), Baramati (61.54), Raver (61.40), Satara (60.37) and Jalgaon (56.12).

The average total 62.37 per cent this time is slightly lower than the 62.88 notched in 2014 elections.

In the first phase polling on April 11, the state recorded 61.81 per cent voting for seven seats and 62.91 per cent for 10 constituencies that voted on April 18 in the second phase.

In the third phase, the fate of 249 candidates including several political stalwarts, scions, royals and rebels including Shiv Sena Union Minister Anant Geete, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Raosaheb Danve-Patil and big political clans like the Pawars and Vikhe-Patils was sealed in EVMs.

The main contests are between the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena and the opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), besides the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) Dalit-Muslim front comprising Prakash Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and Owaisi brothers' All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen as well as some local/regional parties.

There are several key contests among these 14 seats, nine of which are held by the BJP-Shiv Sena, while four are with the NCP, and one with the Shetkari Swabhimani Sanghatana (SSS).

The fourth and final phase of polling for the remaining 17 Lok Sabha seats of the total 48 in the state shall be held on April 29.

That phase will include the six in the country's commercial capital, besides the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

--IANS

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