Final round of voting in progress; EVM thrown into pond in Bengal, 11.3% polling recorded by 9 am

NEW DELHI: Polling for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections is underway. Voting will be held today in 57 Lok Sabha seats including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi and 42 assembly seats in Odisha.

Unpleasant incidents were reported in some parts of West Bengal. Voters took the EVM machine and threw it into a pond at the polling station at booth numbers 40 and 41 in Kultali, South 24 Parganas. When the polling agents did not reach the booth, angry people entered the booth and took the EVM machine.

Voting will be held today in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab (13 each), Bengal (9), Bihar (8), Odisha (6), Himachal Pradesh (4), Jharkhand (3) and Chandigarh (1). Voting started at seven o'clock. By nine o'clock, 11.3 percent polling was recorded.

904 candidates, including Modi, Kangana Ranaut and Anurag Singh Thakur, are seeking election today. Ten crore voters are going to the polling booth. However, the heat wave in North India may affect the turnout. Polling was low in the last six phases. The counting of votes is on June 4.

The first phase of polling was held on April 19. The second phase of polling was held on April 26, the third on May 7, the fourth on May 13, the fifth on May 20 and the sixth on May 25.

Polling so far

April 19: 102 seats — 66.14%

April 26: 89 seats — 66.71%

May 7: 94 seats — 65.68%

May 13: 96 seats — 69.16%

May 20: 49 seats — 62.20%

May 25: 58 seats — 63.37%

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded that the India alliance will come to power. He said it is a matter of pride that everyone is voting to protect the Constitution and June 4 will mark a new dawn.