Surge in voter turnout in Indian polls

Turnout in India's multi-phase election is so far almost eight percentage points higher than last time, data showed Wednesday, reflecting enthusiasm for polls expected to bring the opposition Hindu nationalists to power. Polling in five of the ten phases has been completed, with the biggest day of voting set for Thursday. The last ballots will be cast on May 12 and final counting is scheduled for May 16. "The aggregation of figures from these 111 seats gives a 2014 polling percentage of 68.29, almost 8.0 percentage points higher from 60.39 percent for the same seats in 2009," Akshay Rout, director general of the national election commission, told reporters. The number of ballots cast in these seats has increased by 28.8 percent between 2009 and 2014, according to AFP.