Rajasthan registers over 33 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm; grenade explosion in Chhattisgarh

 Polling began at 7 AM and will end at 6 PM. The voters comprise 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender.

Long queues of voters, at polling stations in Jammu and Kashmir casting their vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.

TT, 19.04.24, Rajasthan: Over 33 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Friday in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, officials said. 

According to the Election Commission, polling began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and about 33.73 per cent voting took place till 1 pm. The highest voter turnout of 40.72 per cent was recorded in the Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 28.32 per cent, it said. 

There are 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan. In the first phase, voting is being held in the Churu, Nagaur, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa Lok Sabha seats, and 114 candidates are in the fray. 

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and other leaders voted in this phase. Mishra and his wife Satyawati Mishra cast their votes at a polling booth in C Scheme. Mishra and his wife Satyawati Mishra cast their votes at a polling booth in C Scheme.

The chief minister exercised his franchise at a polling station of Patnik Jagatpura. Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari also cast her vote in this phase. Union minister and BJP candidate from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal voted at a polling booth in Bikaner, along with his family. 

Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta cast his vote at a polling booth in Gandhi Nagar in Jaipur and appealed to all voters to exercise their franchise.The election department has taken some initiatives at the state level in collaboration with business organisations such as the 'Best Selfie Award' and discounts on various products and services to voters who show their inked fingers.

Uttar Pradesh: A average voter turnout of 37 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Friday in eight parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election. 

Polling began at 7 am and according to the Election Commission, till 1 pm, 42.32 per cent voting was reported in Saharanpur, 35.25 per cent in Moradabad, 37.92 per cent in Kairana, 38.28 per cent in Nagina, 38.51 per cent in Pilibhit, 36.08 per cent in Bijnor, 32.86 per cent in Rampur and 34.51 per cent in Muzaffarnagar. 

The eight constituencies recorded an overall poll percentage of 36.96 up to 1 pm. A total of 80 candidates -- 73 men and seven women -- are in the fray in the first phase. The Election Commission (EC) said 1.43 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said polling was underway at 14,849 polling booths. To ensure security, 6,018 inspectors and sub-inspectors, 35,750 constables and 24,992 home guard personnel, along with 60 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been deployed.

Sikkim: Over 36.75 per cent of the 4.64 lakh voters in Sikkim have exercised their franchise till 1 pm on Friday for 32 Assembly seats and in the lone Lok Sabha constituency, an official said. Voting for the 32 Assembly constituencies and the lone Lok sabha seat in the Himalayan state began at 7 am and will end at 5 pm. 

Polling is underway in 573 polling stations, out of which 88 are in urban and 485 in rural areas, Sikkim Chief Electoral Officer D Anandan said. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, who is spearheading the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM)'s bid for a second term in power, cast his vote in his native Soreng district, where he is contesting from the Soreng-Chakung assembly constituency. 

Tamang is also contesting from the Rhenock assembly seat. Former India Football captain and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) vice president Bhaichung Bhutia who is contesting from Barfung (BL) assembly seat cast his vote in his native Sanganath village in Namchi district.

Andamans: An estimated 35.7 per cent of the total 3,15,148 voters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have exercised their franchise till 1 pm on Friday for the lone Lok Sabha in the union territory, an official said. Chief Electoral Officer, B S Jaglan said so far voting is going on peacefully. 

"So far the voting is going on peacefully. There were some minor EVM glitches but it was addressed immediately. It did not hamper the poll process," the CEO told PTI. At Strait Island (in North and Middle Andaman district) 27 voters belonging to the Great Andamanese (ParticularlyVulnerable Tribal Groups - PVTGs) exercised their voting rights. The Strait Island is a restricted area due to the Great Andamanese tribal reserve. 

The total number of voters in the Union Territory (UT) is 3,15148, which includes 1,64,012 male, 1,51,132 female and four voters in third gender category. The voters also include 39 of Great Nicobarese tribe of Strait Islands, 68 of the Onge tribe at Hut Bay and 98 of the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island.

Bihar: Around 31.47 per cent of the 75 lakh voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 1 pm on Friday, officials said.The polling began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, a senior election official said. The voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates in these four seats. 

Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as "sensitive". 

Over 34.25 per cent voters have exercised their franchise in Jamui Lok Sabha constituency, 33.99 per cent in Aurangabad, 30.40 per cent in Gaya and 27.24 per cent in Nawada till 1 pm, officials said. Earlier in the day, talking to reporters in Gaya, former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi who is contesting from Gaya as an NDA nominee, said, "Voters are coming to cast their votes. Voters are following what our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said 'pahle matdan, phir jalpan' (First vote, then have breakfast)".

Arunachal Pradesh: An estimated 38 per cent of the total 8,92,694 voters exercised their franchise till 1pm on Friday in Arunachal Pradesh where polling for two Lok Sabha seats and 50 assembly constituencies is underway, officials said. The ruling BJP has already won ten seats in the 60-member assembly unopposed. 

The turnout, which was moderate in the morning hours due to inclement weather, gained momentum as condition improved during the day. In a few polling stations, voting was delayed as electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed technical snags which were later replaced, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said. 

Union Earth Science Minister Kiren Rijiju, Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy CM Chowna Mein were among the early voters in the northeastern state. Rijiju cast his vote in his village Nafra in the newly created Bichom district, while Khandu exercised his franchise at the government secondary school in Bomba from where he did his schooling, at Mukto constituency in Tawang district, the officials said. Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik and his wife Anagha Parnaik, cast their votes at polling station 1 at P Sector Government Secondary School here.

Uttarakhand: Over 37 per cent polling was recorded till 1 pm in the Lok Sabha election being held for five parliamentary constituencies in Uttarakhand on Friday, poll officials here said. Fifty-five candidates are in the fray and there are more than 83 lakh eligible voters in total. Polling began at 7 am and the five constituencies recorded an overall poll percentage of 37.33 up to 1 pm, election officials said. 

The Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat recorded the highest turnout of 40.46 per cent, followed by Haridwar with 39.41 per cent, Pauri Garhwal with 36.60 per cent, Tehri Garhwal with 35.29 per cent and Almora with 32.29 per cent. 

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was among the first to cast his vote. Dhami, his mother and his wife arrived at the Nagra Terai polling station in Khatima and stood in a queue to exercise their franchise. 

Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who is the BJP candidate from Haridwar, also cast his vote along with his wife and two daughters and said he was confident of winning the seat by more than five lakh votes. Just-married couples in their wedding attires turned up at various polling stations in the state to exercise their franchise. The old and the physically challenged voters were carried to the poling booths on stretchers and wheelchairs.

Maharashtra: Nearly 30.6 per cent of the 95 lakh eligible voters cast their ballots till 1 pm on Friday in the five Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra where polling is underway in the first phase of the general elections, an official said. Altogether 97 candidates, including Union minister Nitin Gadkari, are in the fray in Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) constituency, all located in eastern-most parts of the state. 

The voter turnout stood at 34.56 per cent in Bhandara-Gondia till 1 pm, the official said. Chandrapur recorded a turnout of 30.96 per cent, Gadchiroli-Chimur 40.01 per cent, Nagpur 28.75 per cent and Ramtek 28.73 per cent till 1 pm, the official said. The average turnout in the five seats was about 30.6 per cent till 1 pm, he said. 

To avoid any technical snags cropping up in Electronic Voting Machines being used in remote polling booths in Gadchiroli, three spare EVMs were dispatched by a helicopter to the Sironcha area of the district, another official said.

Chhattisgarh: More than 28 per cent of the electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling in the Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh, which witnessed a grenade explosion on Friday. 

A CRPF jawan deployed on poll security duty was injured when a shell of an under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) accidentally exploded in Bijapur district.

Tamil Nadu: Polling picked up gradually in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies across Tamil Nadu after commencing on a dull note early in the morning. As per the 11 am status, the state registered a poll percentage of 24.37. 

Voting was incident-free but for some minor glitches in the functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) at a few places, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said on Friday. The voter turnout was around 12.55 percent at 9 am and in Chennai Central constituency it was 8.5 percent.

Madhya Pradesh: The six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 30.46 per cent till 11 am. The constituency-wise polling is Balaghat 35.64 per cent, Chhindwara 32.51, Jabalpur 27.41, Mandla 32.03, Shahdol 29.57 and Sidhi 26.03, the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan told PTI, adding that polling was going on peacefully in all the six constituencies. 

The highest vote cast percentage of 35.64 per cent was recorded in the Naxal-hit Balaghat constituency by 11 am. Baihar and Paraswada assembly constituencies where the voting is taking place from 7 am to 4 pm due to security reasons due to Naxal influence registered voting per cent of 43.96 and 40.79 per cent by 11 am, the CEO said. 

A centre in the Dublai area in Baihar constituency saw 100 per cent voting. All 80 voters there cast their votes, he added. Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, and Chhindwara recorded turnouts of 26.03, 29.57, 27.41, 32.03 and 32.51 per cent, respectively, he added. No untoward incident has been reported from any place, Rajan said. The early voters included former chief minister Kamal Nath, his son Nakul Nath, who is contesting from the Chhindwara LS seat, and their spouses.

Manipur: Around 28.19 per cent of the over 15.44 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the two Lok Sabha seats in the ethnic violence-affected state till 11 am. Inner Manipur constituency recorded 29.40 per cent polling while the turnout in Outer Manipur was 26.02 per cent in the first four hours of voting. 

Polling is underway on Friday for Inner Manipur and parts of Outer Manipur seats, amid tight security arrangements. Meanwhile, stray incidents of unrest were reported from a few places, a police officer said.

An altercation broke out between locals and unidentified miscreants in Thongju assembly constituency under the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat.

Meghalaya: The two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya recorded a voter turnout of 33.12 per cent till 11 am. Shillong recorded 32.7 per cent turnout, while Tura recorded 33.82 per cent polling in the first four hours.

Assam: A voter turnout of 27.22 per cent was recorded till 11 am. Sonitpur recorded a turnout of 28.12 per cent, followed by 29.51 per cent in Jorhat, 26.14 per cent in Lakhimpur, 26.88 per cent in Kaziranga, and 25.41 per cent in Dibrugarh.

Nagaland: The lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland recorded a voter turnout of 13.51 per cent till 11 am. The voting began at 7 am and will continue till 4 pm. The polling was underway amid a call given by the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) in six districts of the region to abstain from voting over the demand for a separate state. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio exercised his franchise in his native village of Touphema in the Northern Angami-II assembly constituency of Kohima district.

Uttarakhand: Nearly 25 per cent polling was recorded in the first four hours of voting for the Lok Sabha election in Uttarakhand. Election officials said polling began at 7 am and by 11 am, 24.83 per cent of voters cast their votes. Haridwar recorded the highest of 26.47 per cent of polling so far, followed by Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar with 26.46 per cent, Pauri Garhwal with 24.43 per cent, Tehri Garhwal with 23.23 per cent and Almora with 22.21 per cent. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was among the first to cast his vote. Dhami, his mother and his wife arrived at the Nagra Terai polling station in Khatima and stood in a queue to exercise their franchise.

Tripura: Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency recorded a voter turnout of 15.09 per cent during the first two hours of polling. Long queues were seen outside polling stations since the morning as people turned up early to beat the heat. In the by-election to the Ramnagar seat, which was being held simultaneously, a turnout of 12.28 per cent was recorded, an official said. Chief Minister Manik Saha urged the people to join the festival of democracy in strong numbers.

Aizawl: Around 10.27 per cent of the over 8.56 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram till 9 am, an election official said. Voting began at 7 am in all 1,276 polling stations across the state and will continue till 5 pm.

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls kicked off on Friday with voting for 102 seats spread across 21 states and Union territories in the first of the seven phases of the world’s largest electoral exercise as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term in office.

Over 16.63 crore people are eligible to vote today.

India has nearly 97 crore registered voters for elections to the 543-member Lok Sabha, with BJP’s ambition to emerge as a force challenging the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu and determination to retain its strongholds across the country set to be put to a stern test and the opposition INDIA bloc facing a herculean task to dislodge the BJP-led NDA.

In the first phase, there are 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.

Counting of votes in the elections that will conclude on June 1 will be taken up on June 4.

Polling is being held for all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).

Besides, voting is being held in 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.

Simultaneously, assembly elections is being held in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats).

Among the prominent candidates in the fray in the first phase are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Sarbananda Sonowal, Gaurav Gogoi of Congress and DMK's Kanimozhi. An aggressive K Annamalai, who is steering the BJP campaign in Tamil Nadu, is also among the contestants.

Polling began at 7 AM and will end at 6 PM. The voters comprise 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender.

The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations.