NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI/CHENNAI, APRIL 19
Nearly 60 per cent polling was reported till 5 pm in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories amid sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal while an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh left a CRPF jawan dead.
High turnout in Phase 1 of #LokSabhaElections2024 despite heat wave
Polling remains largely peaceful across 21 States/UTs . Polling is now complete for 10 States/UTs including most of North east
Photo credit : V Krishnamurthy, Coimbatore, TNhttps://t.co/ZEdJ6GRG2F pic.twitter.com/NdWhGGeEqS— Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) April 19, 2024
An Election Commission spokesperson said the turnout figure was only approximate and polling was held “smoothly and peacefully”.
While voting for the first and biggest phase of the seven-phased elections began at 7 am in all constituencies, it ended at 6 pm in most of the seats.
Assembly elections are also being held simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
While the National Democratic alliance (NDA) under Prime Minister Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
Among the voters were first-timers, many newly-wed couples who came in their traditional attires, physically-challenged people and some elderly persons carried on stretchers and wheelchairs.
Minor EVM glitches were reported at some booths in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Assam.
Election officials said the turnout in West Bengal was 77.57 per cent till 5 pm, Assam 70.77 per cent and Meghalaya 69.91 per cent while voters in six districts of eastern Nagaland stayed indoors following an indefinite shutdown call by an apex body of tribal organisations to press for its demand for a separate state.
In West Bengal, polling was marred by violence in the Cooch Behar seat. TMC and BJP workers clashed with each other and lodged 80 and 39 complaints respectively related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assault on poll agents, sources from both parties said.
In strife-torn Manipur, around an impressive turnout of 67.46 per cent till 5 pm was recorded.
An altercation broke out between locals and unidentified persons in Thongju assembly constituency under the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat.
In Chhattisgarh, 63.41 per cent voters cast their votes in the Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency where the CRPF jawan after the grenade accidentally went off while an officer was injured in an IED blast in another incident.
2024 மக்களவைத் தேர்தலுக்கான வாக்குப்பதிவு முதல் கட்டமாக தமிழ்நாடு மற்றும் புதுச்சேரியில் இன்று நடைபெற்று வருகிறது. இதில் முதல் முறை வாக்காளர்கள் ஆர்வமுடன் பங்கேற்று வாக்களித்து வருகின்றனர். #Elections2024#TNElection2024@TNelectionsCEO @PIB_India @DDTamilNews @airnews_Chennai pic.twitter.com/CixQtpVMJy
— PIB in Tamil Nadu (@pibchennai) April 19, 2024
In Tamil Nadu, where polling is spread over 39 constituencies, a voting percentage of over 63.20 was recorded.
Voting was delayed by an hour in some polling booths in the state such as the one near Tambaram due to technical glitches in the electronic voting machines.
Ajith Kumar votes early; Rajini emphasizes voting dignity
Tamil film star Ajith Kumar was the first denizen of the silver screen to show up for voting on Friday. He arrived at his nearest polling booth at Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai 30 minutes before voting began and patiently waited for the door to open.
Others were not far behind. When mega star Rajinikanth arrived to cast his vote at Stella Maris College in Chennai, he was briefly mobbed, but then he went about completing the formalities unhindered.
Speaking to the media after voting, Rajinikanth stressed on the “civic duty” of all citizens to exercise their democratic right. He said no one gains anything if people abstain from voting. “There is respect and dignity in voting,” Rajinikanth said. “It is our duty to vote. So, please cast your vote.”
The mega star’s now-estranged son-in-law, Dhanush, also cast his vote around 8 a.m. at St Francis Xavier School on TTK Road.
Among the other early voters were the actors Sarath Kumar, who came with his wife Radhika, Sivakarthikeyan and Gowtham Karthik, acclaimed music director Ilayaraja, who showed up at T. Nagar, and the directors Verrimaaran and Sundar C.
Actor Vijay Sethupathi, popularly known as Tamil cinema’s ‘Makkal Selvan’, has won the hearts of netizens by clicking a selfie with an elderly woman in a wheelchair, while exercising his franchise at a polling station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu during the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.
A circulating video on the internet shows the bespectacled actor shaking hands with the elderly lady in a wheelchair, touching her feet, seeking blessings, and taking a selfie with her.
Arunachal Pradesh saw over 60 per cent of the total 8,92,694 voters exercising their franchise.Though the turnout was moderate in the morning hours due to inclement weather, it gathered momentum with weather conditions improving.
In a few polling stations in the state, polling was delayed as the electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed technical snags which were later replaced, Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain said.
Supporters of two candidates clashed near a polling station in the Bameng constituency in East Kameng district, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa said, adding the situation was brought under control and polling is continuing.
Incidents of EVM damage were also reported from three polling stations in East Kameng, Kurung Kumey and Upper Subansiri districts, the police officer said.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw a voting percentage of 56.87 per cent.There were some minor EVM glitches but it was addressed immediately, officials said.
For the first time in the Union territory, seven members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group of Great Nicobar Islands voted for the lone Lok Sabha seat.
Assam also reported EVM malfunctioning at three polling booths of Bihpuria in Lakhimpur, one each in Hojai, Kaliabor and Bokakhat, and one in Naharkatia of Dibrugarh, an official said.
“Most of the glitches were noticed during the mock poll, which started 90 minutes before the commencement of actual voting. Those glitches were rectified immediately. Voting started sometime late in those booths and now it is going smoothly,” an official said.
A vehicle carrying an EVM partially sank into a river after water level rose suddenly, washing away a mechanised boat that was ferrying the SUV in Lakhimpur constituency. The driver and the polling officer of the vehicle managed to get out before water gushed into the vehicle.
Around 46.32 per cent of the 75 lakh voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar exercised their franchise till 5 pm.
Braving incessant rains, 65.08 per cent of voters exercised their choice in the first six hours of polling in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur parliamentary constituency.
In Rajasthan, 50.27 per cent voting took place till 5 pm while Uttarakhand saw 53.56 per cent polling.
In Maharashtra, a voter turnout of 54.85 per cent was recorded till 5 pm while the six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 63.50 per cent.
Uttar Pradesh witnessed 57.54 per cent voting, Mizoram 56.68, Nagaland 50.41, Puducherry 72.8 and Sikkim 67.95.
Over 16.63 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase. 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 one will be taken up on June 4.
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.
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 underway in 12 seats of 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 are being held in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats).
The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations.
