The first phase of the general election began on April 11 with voters exercising their franchise in 91 of the 543 constituencies spread across 20 States and Union Territories - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Assembly elections are also being held today in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.
Here are the live updates:
State-wise first phase voter turnout
| State | Voter turnout in % |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 70.67 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 56 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 66 |
| Assam | 68 |
| Chhattisgarh | 56 |
| Lakshadweep | 66 |
| Manipur | 78.2 |
| Mizoram | 61.29 |
| Nagaland | 78 |
| Odisha | 68 |
| Sikkim | 69 |
| Telangana | 60 |
| Tripura | 81.8 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 64 |
| Uttarakhand | 57.85 |
| West Bengal | 81 |
Gunbattle between police, Naxals in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli
An encounter took place between security forces and Naxals in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra when a polling party was returning on Thursday evening, police said.
The Naxal-affected district also witnessed IED blasts at two other places since April 11 morning.
The skirmish took place at Tumdikasa near Murumgaon Area Operation Post of state police around 4 p.m. when a team of election officials, CRPF and police was returning, after the voting was over, on foot, an official said.
Before the polling party could reach the police post, a group of Naxals opened fire, and CRPF and police personnel retaliated, he said.
The Naxals fled after some time, and no casualties were reported.
Gadchiroli-Chimur was among the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra where polling took place on April 11. — PTI
EC transfers Assam Returning Officer amid first phase poll
The Election Commission on Thursday transferred the Returning Officer of Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency of Assam after receiving complaints against him from the Central observers.
Phoni Bhushan Roy, who is also the Deputy Commissioner of Karimganj district, was shifted on a day when the first phase Lok Sabha poll was held in five other constituencies of the State.
Mr. Roy was replaced by M.S. Manivannan, Director of the State Agriculture Department, sources in the State CEO’s office said in Guwahati.
The sources said the Central observers have complained to the EC against Mr. Roy regarding his “non-performance and lack of knowledge” about the constituency.
The EC had sent Abhinav Chandra as the General Observer of the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat, while Sanjeev Kumar Kalra is stationed as the Police Observer.
Karimganj is going to polls in the second phase on April 18. — PTI
Soldiers deployed in Siachen & LOC cast their votes as service voters
Soldiers stationed at Siachen and at the LoC voting during the first phase of the Lok Sabha election on April 11, 2019.
The Indian Army troops deployed in J&K fulfilled their duty by voting in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections held on Thursday.
In a first-of-its-kind move, the Election Commission of India provided the facility to troops deployed in far flung, remote and inhospitable terrains to download their ballot papers online, vote and forward the ballot papers to their respective Electoral Returning Officers through post.
Braving the severe weather conditions and undeterred by the ceasefire violations the soldiers enthusiastically cast their votes for parliamentary elections.
Police in Noida get meal from ‘Namo Foods’, SSP says not from political party
Some policemen on election duty in Noida were served meals in packets labelled “Namo Foods”, following which officials clarified that those were procured from Namo Food Shop and not from any political party.
The food packets, brought in the boot of a hatchback car, were distributed around 9.30 a.m. among personnel deployed in Sector 15A in Noida, the officials said.
“Misinformation is being spread that some policemen have been distributed food from a political party. This is absolutely wrong. At the local level, some food packets were procured from Namo Food Shop and not from any political party,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar, Vaibhav Krishna, said.
“Some people are spreading wrong and politically motivated rumour. There is no official order to procure food from any particular food outlet,” he said.
68% polling in Assam
At least 68% of the voters exercised their franchise on the first phase of Lok Sabha polling in five constituencies in Assam, a top election official said.
The polling percentage is likely to increase further as hundreds of people are still in the queue at the end of 5 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Chandra Sahu told PTI that as per latest information 68% of the voters have cast their votes in five constituencies.
“This voting percentage will go up further as many people are still in the queue. Those who entered the polling centres by 5 p.m. will be allowed to vote,” he added.
Mr. Sahu informed that there were reports of malfunctioning of EVMs from some booths and defective machines were replaced. — PTI
Polling ends in Uttar Pradesh
Polling ended in Uttar Pradesh, with the State seeing a voter turnout of 63.69% for its eight constituencies that went to the polls today.
Here are the constituency-wise %:
| Saharanpur | 70.68% |
| Ghaziabad | 57.60% |
| Kairana | 62.10% |
| Muzaffarnagar | 66.66% |
| Bijnore | 65.40% |
| Gautam Budh Nagar | 60.15%, |
| Bagpat | 63.90% |
| Meerut | 63.00% |
Polling percentage at 5 p.m.
Assam: 68% - polling continues in some polling stations.
Tripura: 81.23%
Bihar: 53.06%
Uttar Pradesh: 59.77%
Telangana: 60%
Uttarakhand: 57.85%
Andaman and Nicobar: 70.67%
Chhattisgarh (Bastar): 56%
CPI(M) demands repoll in 460 booths in Tripura
CPI(M) demands repolling in 460 booths in Tripura. The party's state secretary Gautam Das said it has sent letter to election commission detailing 'rigging and all sort of malpractices' by BJP.
Four injured in clash between supporters of NC, Peoples Conference in J-K’s Baramulla
At least four persons were hurt on Thursday as supporters of National Conference and Peoples Conference clashed at a polling station in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, officials said.
The incident took place at a polling station in Sumbal area of Bandipora district, they said.
Security personnel on polling duty quickly brought the situation under control, the officials said.
Polling was peaceful in other parts of the constituency, which is spread over three districts -- Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora, they said. - PTI
Mohammad Akhlaq lynching forces family to vote away from Bishara
2015 lynching victim Mohammd Akhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammad and family members after voting at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh’s GB Nagar district on April 11, 2019.
For the first time in their life, Jaan Mohammad and his family did not vote in their native village Bishara in the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency. After Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched in 2015, his brother Jaan Mohammad and the family moved out.
On April 11, Mr. Mohammad and his family members voted at a polling station in Dadri.
The votes of Akhlaq’s family members have been shifted to Dadri town and Delhi from Bishara.
Mr. Mohammad, Akhlaq’s younger brother said his family moved out of the village due to security reasons. “In 2014, all 20 members of the family voted at a polling station in the village but after the murder of my brother, we moved out of the village. I voted at a polling station in Dadri with seven other family members,” he said.
Polling percentage in U.P. at 5 p.m.
Uttar Pradesh's eight Lok Sabha constituencies that went to polls today in the first phase of election have seen a total voter turnout of 59.77% till 5pm.
Here are the constituency-wise %:
| Saharanpur | 63.76% |
| Ghaziabad | 55.20% |
| Kairana | 60% |
| Muzaffarnagar | 60.80% |
| Bijnore | 60.60% |
| Gautam Budh Nagar | 58% |
| Bagpat | 60.40% |
| Meerut | 59.40% |
Bihar's four constituencies see a voter turnout of 50.26% till 5 pm.
Polling percentage in Maharashtra at 3 p.m.
The seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra have registered 46.13% polling till 3 pm.
Here are the constituency-wise %
| Wardha | 43.9% |
| Ramtek (SC) | 44.5% |
| Nagpur | 41.25% |
| Bhandara-Gondiya | 49.05% |
| Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) | 57% |
| Chandrapur | 46.30% |
| Yavatmal-Washim | 43.35% |
Ramdev votes in Kankhal, says Modi’s personality is like Himalayas
Yoga guru Ramdev cast his vote at a polling booth in Kankhal in Haridwar. Mr. Ramdev was joined by his close associates Acharya Balkrishna and Swami Muktananda Maharaj at the polling booth.
After exercising his franchise, Mr. Ramdev addressed a group of journalists. “Prime Minister Modi’s personality is like the Himalayas. As for other leaders, their character, leadership and contribution to the nation are for everybody to see,” he said.
Meanwhile, saints and seers of Panch Dashnam Joona Akhara, led by Bharatiya Akhara Parishad general secretary Mahant Hari Giri Maharaj, also cast their votes at Anand Seva Sadan Inter College polling booth near Mayadevi Mandir precincts.
Mahant Hari Giri said saints and seers should come out of their ashrams and create awareness among people to exercise their right to franchise in the general elections, describing it as a national festival. — PTI
Bihar's four Lok Sabha constituencies have seen a 48.74% voter turnout as of 4 p.m.
Modi will be PM for second term: Assam CM
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal cast his ballot in Dibrugarh district, and asserted that Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister for a second term.
“Along with Assam, the people of the country have decided to cast their vote for the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for development, brotherhood, peace and security of the nation,” he told reporters in Dibrugarh.
Polling is being held since 7 am amid tight security in five parliamentary constituencies of Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur to decide the fate of 41 candidates in the fray.
“The people of Assam have participated in the elections with enthusiasm...,” said Mr. Sonowal, who leads the BJP coalition government in the State. — PTI
Seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra registered 30.19% polling till 1 PM, said the state Chief Electoral Office.
Here are the constituency-wise %
| Wardha | 30.22% |
| Ramtek (SC) | 3.19% |
| Nagpur | 27.47% |
| Bhandara-Gondiya | 32.02% |
| Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) | 41.87% |
| Chandrapur | 30.50% |
| Yavatmal-Washim | 26.09% |
Here are the polling % for various States across the country as of 3 pm:
| Bihar (4 seats) | 41.43% |
| Nagaland | 68% |
| Meghalaya | 55% |
| Telangana (17 seats) | 48.95% |
| Assam (5 seats) | 59.5% |
| Mizoram | 55.16% |
| UP (8 seats) | 50.86% |
| Tripura (1 seat) | 68.65% |
| West Bengal (2 seats) | 69.94% |
| Sikkim | 55% |
The polling % for the five constituencies in Assam at 3 pm are as follows:
| Tezpur | 63.01% |
| Kaliabor | 60% |
| Jorhat | 62% |
| Dibrugarh | 59.29% |
| Lakhimpur | 53% |
The polling % for the eight constituencies in Uttar Pradesh at 3 pm are as follows:
| Saharanpur | 54.18% |
| Ghaziabad | 47% |
| Kairana | 52.40% |
| Muzaffarnagar | 50.80% |
| Bijnore | 51.20% |
| Gautam Budh Nagar | 49.72% |
| Bagpat | 51.20% |
| Meerut | 51% |
41% polling in Odisha till 1 pm
A voter turnout of 41 per cent has been recorded in Odisha till 1 pm where polling is being held in four Lok Sabha seats and 28 assembly constituencies, Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar has said.
The CEO said that technical glitches were noticed in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in several booths, but sectoral officers replaced the defective machines within 30 to 40 minutes.
In a booth located atop a hill in an inaccessible area of Nuapada district, the poll personnel took quick steps to replace a defective EVM, he said.
41.27% electorate cast their vote in Uttarakhand till 1 pm
A voter turnout of 41.27% has been recorded in Uttarakhand till 1 pm where polling is being held in all its five Lok Sabha seats in the first of the seven-phase general elections. Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya said Tehri recorded 40.60% polling, Pauri 38.51%, Almora 36.70%, Nainital 48.0% and Haridwar 48.67%.
29.8% turnout in Mizoram till 1 pm
An average 29.8% votes have been polled for election to the lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat and bypoll to the Aizawl West-I Assembly seat till 1 pm, an election official said.
The fate of six candidates for the Lok Sabha seat would be decided by an electorate of 7,78,777. Three nominees are in the fray in the Assembly bypoll.
The State witnessed the average turnout of 29.8% in the first six hours of polling, State chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra said.
Polling will continue till 5 p.m.
Over 24% polling till noon in Bihar
The four Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar registered 24.57% voter turnout till noon, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Pravin Kumar Gupta told PTI.
Incidents of poll boycott were reported from some places in Jamui and Nawada constituencies while the police recovered three bombs, including a cane bomb.
The CEO office said 25% turnout was recorded in Nawada Assembly bypoll.
Voting at a polling station of Nawada Lok Sabha seat was withheld for some time following the arrest of a polling officer who was found in a drunken state, official sources said. Polling resumed at the booth after he was arrested, the sources said.
According to reports received from the districts, people boycotted voting at some booths in Jamui and Nawada Lok Sabha constituencies citing non-availability of water and lack of road connectivity in their areas.
A cane bomb was found from a polling station in Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency just before voting began.
Two bombs were found beneath Nevta bridge on Imamganj-Raniganj main road falling under Imamganj assembly constituency. The bombs were later defused.
38.78% turnout in U.P. till 1 pm
Saharanpur is still leading with 41.60%, while Meerut has picked up pace and is at 40.60%, marginally behind Bijnor at 40.80%. Kairana and Muzaffarnagar are at 39.80% and 37.60%, while Baghpat is 38% and GB Nagar 38.60%. Ghaziabad is below the average vote percentage at 33.20.
A CRPF jawan fired a shot in the air after a former BJP MLC tried to "capture booth" with his supporters in Rasoolpur polling station in Kairana constituency.
Namo food packets have nothing to do with political party: police
Police have reacted to a photograph doing rounds on social media of policemen distributing food packets with Namo printed on them. Gautam Budh Nagar SSP Vaibhav Krishna dismissed this as a misinformation campaign, and that the food was from Namo Food Shop and not any political party.
"There is some misinformation being spread that some policemen have been distributed food from a political party. This is absolutely wrong. At local level, some food packets were procured from Namo Food Shop and not from any political party. Some people are spreading wrong and politically motivated rumours. And there is no official order to procure food from any particular food outlet," he said in a statement.
Sikkim witnesses 15% polling in first three hours
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling after casting his vote in Namchi on Thursday.
Around 15 per cent votes were cast in the first three hours of polling in Sikkim in simultaneous elections to a 32-member Legislative Assembly and to pick its only Lok Sabha member.
The State is witnessing a three-way fight between Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF); the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), led by P.S. Golay, a former SDF Minister; and the Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) of former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia.
The BJP and the Congress are also in the fray in the State that borders Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.
Voting percentage at 11 a.m.
Uttar Pradesh — 24.32%
Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur race ahead in U.P. with 26.4% and 25.6% turnout till 11 am. The turnout in other seats: Bijnor 25.1%, Baghpat 25%, GB Nagar 24. 2%, Kairana 24%, Ghaziabad 22.4% and Meerut 21.80%.
Average voting till 11 am on eight west UP seats: 24.32%
Nagaland — 41% at 11 a.m.
Arunachal Pradesh — 27.48%
Manipur — 35.03%
Meghalaya — 35%
Chhattisgarh — 23%
Around 23% voters exercised their franchise in the first four hours of polling in the Naxal-hit Bastar constituency in Chhattisgarh. According to an election official, long queues of voters were seen at several polling booths, including booth no. 220 of Shyamgiri village panchayat in Dantewada district, where a BJP MLA and four security personnel were killed in a Naxal attack on April 9.
Uttarakhand — 23.78%
Polling in Uttarakhand’s five Lok Sabha seats saw 23.78% voter turnout by 11 am with people queuing up since early morning to exercise their franchise, an official said. The fate of 52 candidates will be decided by over 78 lakh voters of the State, where all the five seats — Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Almora and Nainital — are being held by the BJP. The saffron party is locked in straight contests with the Congress on all seats. Polling began at 7 am and 23.78% voter turnout was recorded by 11 am, Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya said.
38% turnout in West Bengal
Panchami Das, 80, after voting at Cooch Behar in West Bengal on April 11, 2019.
In the in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar seats of West Bengal 38% has been recorded till 11 am. Polling began at 7 am in the two constituencies, where a total of 34,51,883 electorate will decide the fate of 18 candidates.
Around 50% of polling stations in the two Lok Sabha constituencies are under the watch of paramilitary personnel, besides an adequate number of state forces, to ensure a free and fair elections.
25% voting recorded in Tripura till 10 am
A person with disability being helped by volunteers to visit a polling booth in West Tripura on Thursday.
Around 25 per cent voting was recorded in the first three hours of polling for the West Tripura parliamentary constituency.
Police spokesman Subrata Chakraborty said that in 10 places, some persons tried to prevent voters from voting but were thwarted. “No major incident was reported from anywhere,” he told IANS.
The main contest is between BJP's Pratima Bhoumik, CPI(M)'s Sankar Prasad Datta, and Subal Bhowmik, who quit the BJP’s Vice-President’s post and became the Congress aspirant last month.
Voting for the two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya gets underway.
Men and women in large numbers queued up in front of polling stations well before voting started at 7 a.m. across the state. Polling will end at 4 p.m., Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor said
In the two constituencies of Shillong and Tura, a total of 19,14,795 electors with 52 per cent of them women, are expected to exercise their franchise to elect two new Lok Sabha members.
It's a three-way contest in the State with Congress, BJP and a regional parties bloc fighting the elections together.
14% turnout in J&K till 9 a.m.
The twin Lok Sabha seats of Baramulla and Jammu registered 14.12% turnout till 9 a.m.
Voting started on a slow note in Baramulla district where 5.80% votes were polled in the first three hours, Bandipora saw 5.97% and Kupwara recorded the highest — 7.98% in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.
Kashmiri migrants, who are living in various part of the country, also voted for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat. “10.24% polling of migrants was recorded,” said the State Election Commission.
Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone, who hails from Handwara in the Baramulla parliamentary constituency, appealed to the voters to come out for voting. “This election will herald change. From changelessness to change,” he said.
Compared to Baramulla, the Jammu Lok Sabha seat recorded brisk polling.
“14.12% voting in Jammu, 16.52% in Samba, 11.88% in Rajouri and 12.98% in Poonch were recorded till 9 a.m.,” according to the officials.
IED detected in Assam
An IED has been detected at an oil pipeline passing through a tea garden at Duliajan under Dibrugarh district, and security forces have rushed to the spot, a police officer said. There are reports of EVM glitches in a few booths under Lakhimpur and Kaliabor constituencies, delaying the beginning of polls, an official said, adding, district election offices are looking into the matter.
Voters, majority being women, queued up since early morning even before polling began at 7 a.m., and a general atmosphere of enthusiasm is prevailing in most of the booths of Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur. Security has been tightened in all the 9,574 polling booths and there are no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere so far, police said.
Glimpses from an all-women pink booth in Siaha, Mizoram
Photo credit: Mizoram CEO
Photo credit: Mizoram CEO
In Nagaland, voters wait with tokens in a model waiting room, equipped with a child-friendly creche and plastic free drinking water.
Photos: Nagaland CEO
Photos: Nagaland CEO
Mohan Bhagwat, Bhaiyyaji Joshi among first to cast vote in Nagpur
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat along with general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi were among the first to cast their votes in Nagpur.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat showing his inked finger after casting his vote at a polling booth at Bhauji Daftari School in Mahal area in Nagpur on Thursday.
The duo arrived at a polling booth at Bhauji Daftari School in Mahal area around 6.50 am.
Talking to media-persons after exercising his franchise, Bhagwat appealed people to come out to vote in large numbers.
“Voting is necessary and a sacred responsibility of all. Vote for national security, development and identity,” he said. Mr. Joshi also appealed people to support voting.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress candidate Nana Patole are the key contenders for the Nagpur seat.
Saharanpur leads western UP with 13% polling
Constituency-wise voting in West UP at 9 am: Saharanpur leads with 13%, followed by Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad at 12%, Bijnor, Meerut and Kairana at 11% , and Baghpat and Gautam Buddha Nagar at 10%. Average 11.40%, as per State Election Commission.
PM, Rahul Gandhi urge citizens to vote
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the all citizens to ensure that they exercise their franchise during the first phase of general elections.
"2019 Lok Sabha elections commence today. I call upon all those whose constituencies are voting in the first phase today to turn out in record numbers and exercise their franchise," wrote PM Modi on Twitter. "I specially urge young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers," he wrote.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma stands in queue to cast his vote at a booth in Walbagre under Tura Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked the citizens to "vote wisely."
"You vote today for the soul of India. For her future," he wrote on Twitter.
Toto women cast their votes
Long queues at a polling booth in Toto para in Alipurduar district. Totos are a particularly vulnerable tribal group numbering only 1,600. Their population is only limited to this hamlet on India-Bhutan border.
Election Commission said that EVMs which were malfunctioning in Bengal were replaced and voting is on without any EVM-related problems.
As of 9 a.m., these are the poll percentages in different States:
Uttarakhand - 13.34%
Bihar - 5%
Meghalaya - 20.41%
Nagaland - 21%
Manipur - 16.09%
Mizoram - 17.46%
Assam - 10%
Arunachal Pradesh - 6%
Uttar Pradesh - 11.40%
Andaman & Nicobar - 5.8%
West Bengal - 18.12%
Chhattisgarh - 10.2%
As of 9 a.m., Bihar registered a voting percentage of five percentage from four constituencies. In Nawada and Jamui, the poll percentage is at 3% while in Gaya and Aurangabad it's at 11% and 5% respectively.
An Election official casts his vote through postal ballot before leaving for his respective polling station in Jorhat district of Assam on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.
In Tripura , voting has been stopped at polling station number 9 under 6-Agartala Assembly Constituency due to EVM malfunction. Voters at St. Joseph School in Greater Noida also complained of faulty EVMs.
Will Vizag LS seat break the jinx of low voter turnout this time?
The Visakhapatnam Parliamentary constituency, despite being the biggest constituency in terms of size and electorate in the State, has always seen the lowest turnout.
In 2014 elections, the voter turnout was put at 67.5%, the lowest when compared to the same in 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. Of the total 17.23 lakh voters, only 11.63 lakh walked to the polling booths to exercise their franchise. The figures in the previous elections were also not encouraging. In 2004 general elections, only 63.75% of the total voters cast their votes while the number went up to 72.95% in 2009.
Figures say it all
According to a survey conducted by Delhi-based Insight Political Strategists and Workforce (IPSW), a political startup, the voter turnout has always been low in Visakhapatnam. Citing the figures of 2014 elections, the survey report suggests that 10 of the total 25 parliamentary constituencies in the State such as Amalapuram, Anakapalle, Bapatla, Chittoor, Eluru, Narsapuram and Rajahmundry recorded a voter turnout of more than 80%. The Bapatla constituency recorded a poll percentage as high as 85 followed by Narsaraopet (84.6%), IPSW founder chairman Jaivarda said.
Polling peaceful in Telangana
Polling started peacefully in 16 of the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies across Telangana at 7 am.
Voting will start in Nizamabad at 8 am after completion of mock polling. The constituency has a record 185 contestants and the Election Commission is conducting polls through EVMs for such large number of candidates.
As many as 443 candidates are in the fray in 17 constituencies and 2.96 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the elections through 34,604 polling stations. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his wife are expected to exercise their franchise at Chintamadaka in Gajwel around 10.30 am. Reports from the districts indicated that polling at two polling booths in Tara Degree College, Sangareddy was delayed by 20 minutes as error occurred in EVMs.
One arrested in West Bengal
In a constituency in Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar, Trinamool Congress members complained that they were “attacked” by the BJP. Police have arrested one person.
John Barla — BJP Candidate in Alipurduar — says, "No central forces in sensitive booths and therefore huge rigging is on in various booths in Tufanganj block. We have informed the Election Commission.” Nearly 90 companies of central police have been posted in two constituencies.
Rabindranath Ghosh — Trinamool Minister and the party’s poll coordinator in Cooch Behar — says, “I am sensing conspiracy as I am being informed from many booths now that EVMs are not working. This has not happened before...we are informing the Election Commission.”
9 candidates in the fray in J&K
Men and women are converging in batches on the polling booths, as voting picks up on a slow note in Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday. Fazi Jan, a housewife and a resident of Handwara’s Hirpora, queued up outside the Handwara Boys Higher Secondary around 7.30 a.m.
“I have come to vote for the party I am loyal to for 30 years. I hope the one I elect ensures jobs for my family,” she said. According to Chief Electoral Officer, 13,17,738 voters, including 676057 males and 636059 females, will cast their votes in the Lok Sabha constituency, comprising 15 assembly segments and three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora.
A total of nine candidates are in the fray. National Conference’s Muhammad Akbar Lone, Peoples Conference’s Raja Ejaz Ali, Peoples Democratic Party’s Abdul Qayoom and independent Engineer Rashid are the top contenders.
A multi-tier security cover has been set up for 1,749 polling booth in Baramulla. Separatist amalgam, Joint Resistance Leadership, has called for a poll boycott.
Bird's eye view of the northeastern States voting today
Assam:
Seats: 5 (LS, Dibrugarh, Kaliabor, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Tezpur)
Total candidates: 41 (11 in Lakhimpur, 8 each in Jorhat and Dibrugarh, 7 each in Tezpur and Kaliabor)
Polling stations: 9,574
Total voters: 7,603,458 (Male 3,865,334, Female 3,737,970, Third 154)
Arunachal Pradesh:
Seats: 2 (LS, Arunachal West and Aruanchal East) and 57* (Assembly)
Total candidates: 12 (LS) and 181 (Assembly)
Polling stations: 2,202
Total voters: 794,162 (Male 392,561, Female 401,601)
(*3 seats were won by BJP unopposed)
Manipur:
Seats: 1 (LS, Outer Manipur)
Total candidates: 8
Polling stations: 1,562
Total voters: 1,010,618 (Male 495,583, Female 515,022, Third 13)
Meghalaya:
Seats: Two Lok Sabha seats in Shillong and Tura, and 1 bypoll for Selsella Assembly seat
Total candidates: 9 (LS) and 4 (Assembly)
Polling stations: 3,167
Total voters: 1,914,795 (Male 949,621, Female 956,174)
Mizoram:
Seats: One Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram and 1 bypoll for Aizawl West-I Assembly seat
Total candidates: 6 (LS) and 3 (Assembly)
Polling stations: 1,175
Total voters: 787,777 (Male 383,603, Female 404,169, Third 5)
Nagaland:
Seats: One Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and one bypoll for Aonglenden Assembly seat
Total candidates: 4 (LS) and 2 (Assembly)
Polling stations: 2,227
Total voters: 1,213,777 (Male 615,274, Female 598,503)
Sikkim:
Seats: One Lok Sabha seat in Sikkim) and 32 Assembly seats
Total candidates: 11 (LS) and 150 (Assembly)
Polling stations: 567
Total voters: 432,306 (Male 220,305, Female 212,001)
Tripura:
Seats: One Lok Sabha seat in Tripura West
Total candidates: 13
Polling stations: 1,679
Total voters: 1,347,381 (Male 530,956, Female 665,327, Third: 10)
14 seats across 8 northeastern States go to polls
Villagers waiting in queue to cast their votes in Jorhat district of Assam on Thursday.
Polling began at 7 a.m. for 14 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats across the eight northeastern States, 57 of 60 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh, 32 Assembly seats in Sikkim, and bypolls to an Assembly seat each in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Voting will be held till 5 p.m. in all the seats except for Outer Manipur, Nagaland and the two Meghalaya parliamentary seats where the timing is up to 4 p.m. Apart from Assam, Manipur and Tripura, the region has a single-phase election.
Of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, five are in Assam in the first phase, two each in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, and one each in the rest of the Northeastern States.
Manjhi v Manjhi in Gaya
Voters stand in a queue at a polling booth under Jamui parliamentary constituency.
The first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar on Thursday is set to be a tough battle between the BJP-led NDA and the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance).
In the 2014 elections, the NDA had won all four seats — Gaya, Jamui (both reserved seats), Nawada and Aurangabad — going to the polls, but this time it appears to be tough for them to retain them.
8 seats in U.P. go to polls
The stage is set for polling in eight Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, including Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region, on Thursday amid tight security in the first leg of the seven-phased general election.
Over 10,000 security personnel will secure Noida and Greater Noida even as drone cameras would be deployed for vigilance in Gautam Buddh Nagar. Spread across Noida, Jewar, Dadri, Khurja and Sikandrabad Assembly segments, the constituency has 22.97 lakh voters.
Chandrababu Naidu stages sit-in in front of CEO’s office
In an unprecedented move, Chief Minister and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu staged a sit-in in front of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi’s office at the Secretariat in Amravati on Wednesday to protest against the “partisan, unilateral and undemocratic” actions of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
After submitting a letter he had written to the ECI listing the partisan actions to the CEO, Mr. Naidu and his partymen squatted on the stairway of the CEO’s office at the Secretariat to register protest against the transfer of civil servants by the ECI.
First General elections in Telangana
Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats with K. Kavitha, daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, contesting from Nizamabad against Madhu Yaskhi of the Congress, and sitting MP from Hyderabad and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi contesting the same seat.
Over 2.96 crore voters will exercise their franchise in the 17 seats, 12 of which are general constituencies, three reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two for the Scheduled Tribes. This is the first general election to be held in Telangana since the formation of the State on June 2, 2014. The previous Lok Sabha elections were held on April 30, 2014 -- more than a month ahead of the appointed day for bifurcation of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.
