An approximate voter turnout of 59.15% was recorded on Saturday in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls with incidents of violence between Trinamool and BJP supporters reported in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and complaints of EVM glitches and rigging at some booths lodged. Polling was conducted in seven States and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for 57 constituencies, including Varanasi. Voting was held amid a severe heatwave in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh also took place simultaneously. Saturdayâs voting marked the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. The Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls. Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met in the evening to take stock of the Oppositionâs preparations leading up to the June 4 counting of votes, and claimed they will get more than 295 seats, enough for them to form the next government. BJP chief J.P. Nadda exuded confidence that his party will win over 370 seats and the NDA more than 400 and said people have voted for a capable, powerful, developed and self-reliant India and to put aside appeasement, nepotism and corruption. With the focus now on June 4, the counting for the Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on June 2. After polling ended on Saturday, the EC thanked the Indian voters, saying it was âdeeply humbledâ by them making it to polling stations overcoming many challenges and dilemmas. Several exit polls predict NDA win Several exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. The ruling alliance in all likelihood will open its account in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and sweep Karnataka but may see a fall in its tally in States like Bihar, Rajasthan and Haryana, according to these pollsters. The Republic TV-P Marq poll claimed that the ruling alliance will win up to 359 seats and the opposition INDIA bloc will bag 154 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The Republic TV-Matrize poll gave 353-368 seats to the NDA and 118-133 seats to the opposition. The Jan Ki Baat poll gave 362-392 seats to the ruling NDA and 141-161 to the opposition alliance. The India TV-CNX gave them 371-401 and 109-139 seats respectively, while the corresponding tally predicted by News Nation was 342-378 and 153-169. INDIA bloc failed to strike chord with voters, âregressive politicsâ rejected: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday exuded confidence that people have voted in record numbers to re-elect the NDA government and said the âopportunistic INDI Allianceâ failed to strike a chord with the voters who rejected their âregressive politicsâ. As polling ended for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi said the people have seen his governmentâs track record and the manner in which its work has brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden. âIndia has voted! A heartfelt thank you to all those who exercised their franchise. Their active participation is the cornerstone of our democracy. Their commitment and dedication ensures that the democratic spirit thrives in our nation. I would also like to specially appreciate Indiaâs Nari Shakti and Yuva Shakti. Their strong presence at the polls is a very encouraging sign,â PM Modi said in a series of posts on X. The Prime Minister said he can say with confidence that the people of India have voted in record numbers to re-elect the NDA government. âThey have seen our track record and the manner in which our work has brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden,â PM Modi said. At the same time, they have seen how the reforms in India have propelled the nation to being the fifth largest global economy, he added. The Prime Minister said that every scheme of the government has reached the intended beneficiaries without any bias or leakage. Lashing out at the Opposition coalition, PM Modi said, âThe opportunistic INDI Alliance failed to strike a chord with the voters. They are casteist, communal and corrupt. This alliance, aimed to protect a handful of dynasties, failed to present a futuristic vision for the nation.â âThrough the campaign, they only enhanced their expertise on one thing- Modi bashing. Such regressive politics has been rejected by the people,â he added. He also applauded each and every NDA worker across the length and breadth of India. âI compliment them for meticulously explaining our development agenda to the people and motivating them to come out and vote. Our karyakartas are our greatest strength,â PM Modi said. Earlier in the day, PM Modi, who was meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari since Thursday (May 30) evening, left the southern tip of India as he completed his 45-hour-long âdyanâ at 2.45 p.m. on Saturday. After coming out of the meditation hall in the rock memorial, PM Modi visited the Amman sreepaadham again and boarded the ferry to reach the 133-foot-tall Thiruvalluvar statue on the nearby rock. He offered floral tributes to the sageâs 40.60-meter-tall stone sculpture unveiled by late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, on January 1, 2000 to mark the millennium. Defamation case: Bengaluru special court directs Rahul Gandhi to appear on June 7 without fail A special court in Bengaluru on Saturday directed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear personally before it on June 7 without fail in a defamation case lodged by the Bharatiya Janata Partyâs State unit for issuing âdefamatoryâ advertisements in mainstream newspapers. The advertisement accused the BJP government of indulging in large-scale corruption during its 2019-2023 rule. Meanwhile, the court granted bail to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar after they appeared before the court on Saturday. K.N. Shivakumar, judge of the Special Court of Magistrate for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs from Karnataka, passed the order while setting June 7 as the date for Mr. Gandhiâs personal appearance. Excise policy case: Court reserves for June 5 order on Kejriwalâs interim bail plea A court in New Delh on June 1 reserved for June 5 its order on an application moved by Chief Minster and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal seeking interim bail in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi governmentâs now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja reserved the order, observing that the application was for grant of interim bail on medical grounds and not for the extension of the interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. The top court had on May 10 granted 21-day interim bail to the Chief Minister to enable him to campaign during the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed him to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll gets over. In Brief: The countryâs gross GST collections rose to â¹1.73 lakh crore in May, growing 10% year on year driven by increased revenues from domestic transactions, the finance ministry said on Saturday. GST collections had touched a record high of â¹2.10 lakh crore last month. âThe gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue for the month of May 2024 stood at â¹1.73 lakh crore,â the ministry said in a statement. The 10% year-on-year growth in May collection is driven by a strong increase in revenues from domestic transactions (up 15.3%) amid slowing of imports (down 4.3%). After accounting for refunds, the net GST revenue for May 2024 stood at â¹1.44 lakh crore, reflecting a growth of 6.9% compared to the same period last year. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 01 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Polling for 18th Lok Sabha polls concludes, over 59% turnout in final phase An approximate [voter turnout of 59.15% was recorded]( on Saturday in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls with incidents of violence between Trinamool and BJP supporters reported in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and complaints of EVM glitches and rigging at some booths lodged. Polling was conducted in seven States and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for 57 constituencies, including Varanasi. Voting was held amid a severe heatwave in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh also took place simultaneously. Saturdayâs voting marked the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. The Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls. Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met in the evening to take stock of the Oppositionâs preparations leading up to the June 4 counting of votes, and claimed they will get more than 295 seats, enough for them to form the next government. BJP chief J.P. Nadda exuded confidence that his party will win over 370 seats and the NDA more than 400 and said people have voted for a capable, powerful, developed and self-reliant India and to put aside appeasement, nepotism and corruption. With the focus now on June 4, the counting for the Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on June 2. After polling ended on Saturday, the EC thanked the Indian voters, saying it was âdeeply humbledâ by them making it to polling stations overcoming many challenges and dilemmas. Several exit polls predict NDA win Several [exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power]( for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. The ruling alliance in all likelihood will open its account in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and sweep Karnataka but may see a fall in its tally in States like Bihar, Rajasthan and Haryana, according to these pollsters. The Republic TV-P Marq poll claimed that the ruling alliance will win up to 359 seats and the opposition INDIA bloc will bag 154 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The Republic TV-Matrize poll gave 353-368 seats to the NDA and 118-133 seats to the opposition. The Jan Ki Baat poll gave 362-392 seats to the ruling NDA and 141-161 to the opposition alliance. The India TV-CNX gave them 371-401 and 109-139 seats respectively, while the corresponding tally predicted by News Nation was 342-378 and 153-169. INDIA bloc failed to strike chord with voters, âregressive politicsâ rejected: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday [exuded confidence that people have voted in record numbers to re-elect the NDA]( government and said the âopportunistic INDI Allianceâ failed to strike a chord with the voters who rejected their âregressive politicsâ. As polling ended for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi said the people have seen his governmentâs track record and the manner in which its work has brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden. âIndia has voted! A heartfelt thank you to all those who exercised their franchise. Their active participation is the cornerstone of our democracy. Their commitment and dedication ensures that the democratic spirit thrives in our nation. I would also like to specially appreciate Indiaâs Nari Shakti and Yuva Shakti. Their strong presence at the polls is a very encouraging sign,â PM Modi said in a series of posts on X. The Prime Minister said he can say with confidence that the people of India have voted in record numbers to re-elect the NDA government. âThey have seen our track record and the manner in which our work has brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden,â PM Modi said. At the same time, they have seen how the reforms in India have propelled the nation to being the fifth largest global economy, he added. The Prime Minister said that every scheme of the government has reached the intended beneficiaries without any bias or leakage. Lashing out at the Opposition coalition, PM Modi said, âThe opportunistic INDI Alliance failed to strike a chord with the voters. They are casteist, communal and corrupt. This alliance, aimed to protect a handful of dynasties, failed to present a futuristic vision for the nation.â âThrough the campaign, they only enhanced their expertise on one thing- Modi bashing. Such regressive politics has been rejected by the people,â he added. He also applauded each and every NDA worker across the length and breadth of India. âI compliment them for meticulously explaining our development agenda to the people and motivating them to come out and vote. Our karyakartas are our greatest strength,â PM Modi said. Earlier in the day, PM Modi, who was meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari since Thursday (May 30) evening, left the southern tip of India as he [completed his 45-hour-long âdyanâ]( at 2.45 p.m. on Saturday. After coming out of the meditation hall in the rock memorial, PM Modi visited the Amman sreepaadham again and boarded the ferry to reach the 133-foot-tall Thiruvalluvar statue on the nearby rock. He offered floral tributes to the sageâs 40.60-meter-tall stone sculpture unveiled by late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, on January 1, 2000 to mark the millennium. Defamation case: Bengaluru special court directs Rahul Gandhi to appear on June 7 without fail A special court in Bengaluru on Saturday [directed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear personally before it on June 7]( without fail in a defamation case lodged by the Bharatiya Janata Partyâs State unit for issuing âdefamatoryâ advertisements in mainstream newspapers. The advertisement accused the BJP government of indulging in large-scale corruption during its 2019-2023 rule. Meanwhile, the court granted bail to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar after they appeared before the court on Saturday. K.N. Shivakumar, judge of the Special Court of Magistrate for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs from Karnataka, passed the order while setting June 7 as the date for Mr. Gandhiâs personal appearance. Excise policy case: Court reserves for June 5 order on Kejriwalâs interim bail plea A court in New Delh on June 1 [reserved for June 5 its order]( on an application moved by Chief Minster and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal seeking interim bail in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi governmentâs now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja reserved the order, observing that the application was for grant of interim bail on medical grounds and not for the extension of the interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. The top court had on May 10 granted 21-day interim bail to the Chief Minister to enable him to campaign during the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed him to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll gets over. In Brief: The countryâs gross [GST collections rose to â¹1.73 lakh crore in May]( growing 10% year on year driven by increased revenues from domestic transactions, the finance ministry said on Saturday. GST collections had touched a record high of â¹2.10 lakh crore last month. âThe gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue for the month of May 2024 stood at â¹1.73 lakh crore,â the ministry said in a statement. The 10% year-on-year growth in May collection is driven by a strong increase in revenues from domestic transactions (up 15.3%) amid slowing of imports (down 4.3%). After accounting for refunds, the net GST revenue for May 2024 stood at â¹1.44 lakh crore, reflecting a growth of 6.9% compared to the same period last year. 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