High voter turnout yesterday marked polling in the first major day of Lok Sabha elections covering 91 constituencies in 14 states and Union Territories as the exercise entered key battlegrounds of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where three securitymen were killed in a Naxal attack.

Delhi recorded its second highest voting percentage of 64.77 in Lok Sabha poll, up by a sharp 12 per cent over the last elections in 2009, for the seven seats. The voter turnout this time was substantially higher over the last Lok Sabha elections in all the constituencies.

The 10 seats of Uttar Pradesh, which went to polls yesterday, reported a record turnout of 65 per cent as compared to 51.30 per cent recorded in the last LS polls.

Among all the constituencies which went to poll yesterday, Lakshadweep recorded the highest turnout of 87.05 per cent. Polling was conducted smoothly in all the 43 polling booths spread over the ten inhabitant islands in the smallest Union Territory with just 49,821 voters. Chandigarh recorded 74 per cent turnout, against 64 per cent in 2009 polls.

Kerala, which went to polls in single phase yesterday, recorded 73.8 per cent voter turnout, up from 73.2 per cent last time.

In Odisha, heavy polling was reported with more than 67 percent voting in the 10 Lok Sabha and 70 state Assembly constituencies last evening.

Chhattisgarh's Bastar seat witnessed the lowest voter turnout among the 91 seats of 51.4 per cent. But it was higher as compared to 47.33 per cent recorded in the last LS polls.

Prominent among those whose electoral fate was decided yesterday are Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, seven union ministers including Kapil Sibal, Kamal Nath, Shashi Tharoor, RLD leader Ajit Singh and BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari, former army chief V K Singh and Harsh Vardhan