New Delhi [India], April 23 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a message highlighting the importance of voting, quoting 99-year-old voter HV Hande, who first exercised his franchise in 1946.

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/2047274383014805879

The Prime Minister emphasised that voting is a crucial responsibility in shaping the nation's future on X post.

In his post, PM Modi wrote, 'An extremely important message! I hope you will strengthen our democracy by casting the highest number of young votes.'

HV Hande is a five-time legislator and has been Tamil Nadu Health Minister twice in the MGR's cabinet.

This comes amid Phase 1 of the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, along with bypolls in several states.

The late afternoon figures highlight an intense wave of voter participation across both states, as polling hours drew to a close.

Tamil Nadu also witnessed a sharp rise in turnout as the day progressed, with several districts nearing or surpassing the high-80% range.

Karur led the state with 89.32%, followed by Salem at 88.02%, Erode at 87.59%, Dharmapuri at 87.28%, and Tiruppur at 86.33%. Ariyalur recorded 83.09%, Tiruchirappalli 82.76%, and Chennai 81.34%, indicating strong urban and semi-urban participation. Meanwhile, Madurai (77.89%) and Thoothukudi (77.56%) reported relatively lower but still significant turnout figures.

West Bengal once again emerged as the frontrunner, with several districts crossing the 90% mark

Dakshin Dinajpur led the state with an exceptional 93.12%, followed by Cooch Behar at 92.07%, Birbhum at 91.55%, Murshidabad at 91.36%, and Jalpaiguri at 91.20%. Jhargram (90.53%) and Paschim Medinipur (90.70%) also remained above the 90% threshold, while Bankura recorded 89.91% and Malda 89.56%. Darjeeling, though comparatively lower, still posted a strong 86.49%.

Meanwhile, in the by-elections, polling also picked up pace by 5 PM. In Gujarat, the Umreth constituency recorded a voter turnout of 54.43%. In Maharashtra, Rahuri saw 50.68% polling, while Baramati reported a slightly higher turnout at 52.44%. (ANI)