Over 62 per cent turnout in 5th phase

NEW DELHI: Two explosions at polling stations in Pulwama in Kashmir and clashes between TMC and BJP in West Bengal were reported during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Monday across seven states in which over 62 per cent turnout was recorded.
The voter turnout was 74.42 in seven seats in West Bengal, where incidents of Trinamool Congress and BJP workers attacking each other, hurling of bombs, injury to a candidate due to lathi charge by central forces, manhandling of a contestant and beating up of a polling agent were reported.
In Jammu and Kashmir, 64 per cent polling was recorded in Ladakh but the turnout was barely three per cent in militancy-infested Shopian and Pulwama districts in the final of the three-phase election to Anantnag constituency held amid militant threats and boycott call by separatists in Kashmir.
Militants lobbed a grenade towards Rohmoo polling station and set off an explosion at another polling booth in Tral in Pulwama but no one was injured in the two incidents.
In the high profile Amethi seat, Union minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani alleged that her rival and Congress president Rahul Gandhi was “ensuring booth capturing” and also tagged a video on twitter in which an elderly women alleged that her hand was forcibly put on ‘panja’ (hand) election symbol of the Congress.
But the Chief Electoral Officer said the matter was “examined thoroughly and found baseless”. (PTI)