Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 1: Chennai Central Has Lowest Voter Turnout of 8.59%, Says Chief Electoral Officer

On Friday, Satyabrata Sahoo, the Chief Electoral Officer in Tamil Nadu, reported that the Chennai Central constituency experienced a notably low voter turnout. This was attributed to technical malfunctions delaying the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at certain polling stations. Sahoo stated that as of 9 AM, the voter turnout stood at a mere 12.55 percent.

Chennai Central has the lowest voter turnout of 8.59 per cent. There were delays in EVMs due to technical faults at 4-5 places but all were rectified. The election is going smoothly as of now in the state, he said.

Nevertheless, according to the official voter turnout application of the Election Commission, the voter turnout in the southern state was recorded at 9.21 percent by 9 a.m. The voting process for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu is currently in progress. Data released by the Election Commission of India indicates that West Bengal witnessed a 15.09 percent voter turnout, while Madhya Pradesh recorded a 15 percent turnout by the same time.

The voter turnout percentages for the states participating in the phase 1 elections are as follows:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: 8.64 percent
Arunachal Pradesh: 6.29 percent
Assam: 11.15 percent
Bihar: 9.23 percent
Chhattisgarh: 12.02 percent
Jammu and Kashmir: 10.43 percent
Lakshadweep: 5.59 percent
Maharashtra: 6.98 percent

Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7:00 am. Voters will exercise the franchise until 6:00 pm.