The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra recorded around 60 per cent voting on Wednesday. Many districts witnessed heavy rains in the morning affecting the voter turnout but brisk voting in the second half of the day took the overall voting percentage to 56 till 5 p.m.
According to the information director of the Nagpur region, Nagpur district registered 50.97 per cent voter turnout while neighbouring Wardha reported 58.20 per cent till 5 p.m.
Yavatmal registered 56.79 per cent while Buldhana district witnessed 65 per cent polling till 5 p.m. Washim district of Vidarbha reported 51.76 per cent voting and Akola registered 48.75 per cent.
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Bhandara, Amravati and Chandrapur districts recorded 62.43 per cent, 67.26 per cent and 67 per cent voting, while Gondia witnessed 64.24 per cent voter turnout till 6 p.m.
A police constable on election duty was killed when lightning struck a polling centre in Awaleghat village near the Parshivani town of Nagpur district. The deceased has been identified as Ravindra Mankar. Five voters were injured in the incident.
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Gadchiroli witnessed the highest polling percentage. The Maoist insurgency-hit district registered over 71 per cent voting, despite the curtailed voting time — 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The voting percentage is expected to go up.
The Maoists targeted a polling party in Chamorshi block and attacked a voting booth in Etapalli block. However, the poll officials and the Electronics Voting Machines were safely dispatched to the base camps.