New Delhi, April 30 2009: An estimated 50 per cent of the 14.4 crore electorate today exercised their franchise in the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in nine states and two union territories, which passed off by and large peacefully barring stray violence in Bihar and West Bengal.

The electoral fate of political heavyweights Congress President Sonia Gandhi, BJP's prime ministerial nominee LK Advani, former prime minister and JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda, senior Left leaders Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) and Basudeb Acharya (CPI-M) and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh were decided in the third phase that covers 107 constituencies.

The 14 constituencies in West Bengal, where the polling was held for the first time in this election, recorded the highest turnout of 64 per cent followed by Karnataka (57), Gujarat (50) and Maharashtra (45 per cent) .

The turnout in Mumbai, the country's financial hub, was estimated at 45 per cent as the metropolis witnessed the first election six months after the November 26 terror attacks.

The lowest turnout of 25 per cent was in Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir where the separatists had given a poll boycott call.

With the completion of the third phase, the voters have given their verdict in 372 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.

Two more phases are to be held on May 7 and 13 before counting of votes is taken up on May 16.The voters' response in the first two phases was at around 60 per cent.

The polling in the elections to the 32-member Sikkim assembly drew a 64 per cent turnout.

Maoists exploded a landmine near a booth at Biramdih in West Bengal's Purulia district, injuring two Central paramilitary force jawans.

Twelve people, including a policeman were injured, in skirmishes between rival groups in Bihar.

Police fired in the air when voters tried to storm three booths at Forbesganj and Araria Lok Sabha constituencies.

Notwithstanding the call for poll boycott by Maoists, polling in naxal-hit areas was by and large peaceful, Additional Director General of Bihar Police (Headquarters) said.

Voters did not turn up in 23 polling stations under Dharara police station where Maoists gave a poll boycott call.

Low turnout of voters was reported in 1,000 booths in Maoist-infested Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore districts of West Bengal.

Pro and anti-poll activists clashed in Purulia.

Thirteen per cent turn-out was recorded in 49 booths in troubled Lalgarh where booths were shifted from areas in accordance with the agreement reached with tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato whose organisation resisted police entry into their areas for the last six months.

The third phase saw completion of the polling process in Gujarat, where 26 Lok Sabha seats are up for grabs, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

In Uttar Pradesh, where 15 constituencies went to poll today, the voter turn-out was put at 45 per cent while Bihar's 11 constituencies, which put to test the newly-stitched alliance of RJD and LJP, registered 48 per cent response.

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