The eighth and final phase of Bengal Assembly elections in which voting was held in 35 constituencies on Thursday witnessed 76.07 per cent turnout till 5pm, but the polling was less in seven north Calcutta seats.
Sources in the Election Commission of India said Birbhum had recorded 81.87 percent voter turnout till 5pm, followed by Malda with 80.06 percent and Murshidabad with 78.07 percent.
The seven city seats recorded only 57.53 per cent polling till 5pm, which suggested that the rapid surge in Covid-19 cases kept the voters away from the booths. This captured the urban-rural divide in terms of voter turnout.
“Although the polls continued for another one-and-a-half hours, it seems the average voting percentage in seven Assembly segments of north Calcutta would not be close to the average of 64 per cent witnessed in previous elections.… Primarily, it appears the pandemic has cast a shadow on voter turnout in Calcutta and its surrounding areas,” said a poll panel source.
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday notified victory of 48 senators-elect, including former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani and Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda who are facing legal challenges concerning their eligibility.
The ECP earlier in the day rejected pleas seeking withholding of victory notifications of Mr Vawda over his dual nationality controversy and of Mr Gilani for allegedly ‘buying’ votes in the recently held Senate polls.
As Mr Vawda finally appeared in person before an ECP bench, headed by its member from Punjab Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, along with his counsel, the senator-elect was told to appear again and submit his answers to the commission at the next hearing.