Lok Sabha Polls: 54.49% Turnout in J&K, 68% in Odisha, 56% in Maha
Catch all the live updates on polling in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections here.
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As the first phase of Lok Sabha polling began on Thursday, 11 April, the Election Commission (EC) during a press address announced that the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir was at 54.49 percent while Odisha and Maharashtra witnessed a turnout of 68 percent and 56 percent, respectively.
The figures for the three states were recorded till 5 pm, EC announced. Meanwhile, voting concluded in Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a total voter turnout of 70.67 percent
The voting for the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections began at 7 am on Thursday with 91 seats across 20 states casting the ballot today.
Seventeen of these 91 constituencies are in the states of Maharashtra (7), Odisha (4), Jammu and Kashmir (2), West Bengal (2), and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep (1) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1).
- An IED blast by suspected naxals took place near a polling booth in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on Thursday, but no injuries were reported
- After casting his vote in Nagpur, Nitin Gadkari expressed confidence that his margin of victory would increase this time around
- The state of Odisha is seeing key contests in the Kalahandi and Berhampur constituencies
Catch the live updates from constituencies voting in the Hindi Heartland, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, South India and the Northeast here.
For all the live updates from the Assembly elections in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, click here.
In Pics: First Time Voters Cast Vote in J&K's Shadipora
Student Killed in Security Forces Firing in J&K After Polling
A Class 7 student was killed in firing by security forces on a mob in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara after end of polling to the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, police told news agency IANS.
Police sources said the student, identified as Owais Ahmed, was killed when security forces fired on a mob which had attacked the polling party as it was leaving a polling station in Mandigam village of Handwara tehsil of Kupwara.
Ahmed was fatally injured and succumbed later, the source said.
BJP Accuses BJD of Violating MCC, Writes to EC
A BJP delegation has filed a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha alleging violation of Model Code of Conduct by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.
The delegation alleged that his speeches were live telecast on a TV channel. They have requested Chief Electoral to take action.
Odisha Election: 68% Voter Turnout till 5 PM
The voter turnout till 5 pm for the four constituencies that have gone to polls in Odisha was at 68 percent.
Polling in 4 Stations in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli Rescheduled
Addressing the media on Thursday, the Election Commission said that the polling for four stations in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli will be rescheduled.
EC announced that due to security reasons, the polling in the four stations couldn't take place.
West Bengal Election: 81% Voter Turnout till 5 PM
The voter turnout till 5 pm for the two constituencies that have gone to polls in West Bengal was at 81 percent.
Jammu and Kashmir Election: 54.49% Voter Turnout till 5 PM
The voter turnout till 5 pm for the two constituencies that have gone to polls in Jammu and Kashmir was at 54.49 percent.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Election: 70.67% Final Voter Turnout
Phase I of Polling Concludes: Election Commission Addresses the Media
Lakshadweep Election: 65.9% Voter Turnout Till 5 pm
Odisha's Kalahandi Residents Boycott First Phase of LS Polls
Residents of Bhejipadar village in Odisha's Kalahandi district boycotted the first phase of elections on Thursday alleging that they are still awaiting a proper road connectivity to their village despite complaining to the administration since 2017.
Speaking to ANI, a resident, Sushil Majhi, said, "There are two roads which lead to our village - one runs through a dense forest and the other is dangerous and is avoided by all."
"We had told this to District Collector and DCP in 2017 and it is now 2019, but there is no road. So we have boycotted the election."
Maharashtra Election: 55.78% Voter Turnout Till 5 pm
CRPF Troops Attacked in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli Area
The troops of 113 Battalion CRPF were fired upon while they were returning from booth number 283 in Maharashtra's Tumrikasa Village of Gadchiroli area at 4 pm.
A CRPF notification said that the troop retaliated, however no injuries or loss were reported.
'No Polling' Recorded in Odisha's Chirtakonda Assembly
No polling was recorded in 15 booths at Chitrakonda Assembly segment of Malkangiri district in Odisha due to suspected Maoist fear, sources have told The Quint.
World's Shortest Woman Casts Vote in Nagpur
The world's shortest woman, Jyoti Amge, who made a guest appearance in reality TV show Bigg Boss in 2012, on Thursday posted a photo of herself, showing an inked finger.
"I request everyone to vote. Please vote first and then go to complete everything else," Amge told NDTV outside a polling booth in Nagpur.
Maharashtra Election: 46.13% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm
Jammu and Kashmir Election: 46.17% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm
TMC Workers Allegedly Heckle Voters, Journalist in Cooch Behar
Trinamool Congress workers allegedly stopped women from voting and polling agents of Opposition parties from sitting in Booth No 257 in Khandakushamari village of Shitalkuchi in Coochbehar.
The TMC workers fled from the spot after an ABP Ananda correspondent went to cover the incident. The correspondent was later assaulted after the visuals were aired on the channel.
BJD Writes to EC Alleging Poll Violation by BJP
Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) wrote to Chief Electoral Officer, Bhubaneswar, over violation of EC guidelines by BJP for holding a press meet on Thursday and details of the same being provided on scrolling news on OTV.
"We demand strict action be taken against BJP, its leaders & OTV... for violation," the letter noted.
West Bengal Election: 69.94% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Casts Vote in Nagpur
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cast his vote for the Lok Sabha election at Dharampeth Hindi High School polling booth in Nagpur.
Union minister and sitting MP Nitin Gadkari is facing Congress' Nana Patole in Nagpur constituency.
Both Gadkari and Fadnavis hail from Nagpur.
Lakshadweep Election: 51.25% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm
Jammu and Kashmir Election: 35% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
West Bengal Election: 55.95% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Lakshadweep Election: 37.7% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
EC Gets 462 Complaints From 2 West Bengal Seats, Says Report
The Election Commission on Thursday, 11 April, got as many as 462 complaints in the first two hours polling in West Bengal's two constituencies – Cooch Behar and Alipurduars – on issues such as EVM malfunctioning, clashes and deployment of forces, according a News18 report.
Basu, however, had added that the situation was under control.
Omar Abdullah Shares Video Alleging Congress Symbol Wasn't Working in Poonch Polling Stations
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah shared a video on Twitter alleging that the Congress symbol button was not working in polling stations in Poonch.
However, the Poonch district election officer later clarified to ANI saying, "There was an issue with the Congress button in Shahpur. Our staff replaced the machine. At another polling station, the BJP button wasn't working. We changed that too."
'Voter Manhandled by BSF as he Refused to Vote for BJP': Mehbooba Mufti
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has alleged that a voter at a polling booth in Jammu was manhandled by the BSF "because he refused to cast his vote for BJP".
Lakshadweep Election: 23.1% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Election: 14.37% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
Maharashtra Election 2019: 13.7% Turnout for 7 Seats Till 11 am
West Bengal Election 2019: 38.08% Voter Turnout in 2 Seats Till 11 am
'Appeal to Voters to Come Out in Large Numbers': Naveen Patnaik
Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik took to Twitter to appeal to the people of Berhampur, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput to cast their votes. .
Odisha Elections 2019: 22% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
'Confident That My Margin of Victory Will Increase': Nitin Gadkari
Speaking to the media after casting his vote, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed confidence that his margin of victory would increase this time around.
Over 6.5% Voters Exercise Franchise in 2 Hours of Voting in Baramulla
Over 6.5 percent of the 13.12 lakh electorate cast their votes on Thursday in the first two hours of polling in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, officials cited by PTI said.
The seven assembly segments in Baramulla district registered a turnout of 5.8 percent in the first two hours of polling which began at 7 am, the officials said.
They said Bandipora district, which has three assembly segments, recorded a poll percentage of nearly six percent during the corresponding period, while Kupwara recorded a turnout of eight percent so far.
Those in the fray include Muhammad Akbar Lone of National Conference, Farooq Ahmad Mir of Congress, Raja Aijaz Ali of People's Conference, Mohammad Maqbool War of BJP, Jahangir Khan of NPP, Abdul Qayoom Wani of PDP and independent candidates Javid Ahmad Qureshi, Syed Najeeb Shah Naqvi and Abdul Rashid Sheikh
Baramulla Lok Sabha seat is spread over 15 assembly segments in three districts of north Kashmir.
9% Voter Turnout Recorded in Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondiya in 2 Hours
Nine percent voter turnout was recorded in the Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra between 7 am and 9 am on Thursday, election officials said.
West Bengal Elections: 18.12% Voter Turnout Till 9 am in Two Constituencies
The voter turnout till 9 am for the two constituencies that have gone to polls in West Bengal – Cooch Behar and Alipurduars – is 18.12 percent.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Election: 6% Turnout Till 9 am
Lakshadweep Election: 9.83% Turnout Till 9 am
'The Only Issue Here is Vikas': Praful Patel Casts Vote From Bhandara-Gondiya in Maharashtra
NCP leader Praful Patel cast his vote from the Bhandara-Gondiya constituency and took a dig at the Modi government on the issues of unemployment and agrarian distress.
Notably, Patel was elected an MP from the same Lok Sabha constituency in 2009.
Polling Going on Peacefully in Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Chief Electoral Officer
The Chief Electoral Officer for Andaman and Nicobar Islands also took to Twitter to share pictures of a model polling station in Campbell Bay.
West Bengal Elections: Voting 'Halted' in Cooch Behar Booth
Voting has been stopped in a booth in West Bengal's Cooch Behar constituency due to voting machine issues, reported The Indian Express.
TMC's Paresh Chandra Adhikary is up against BJP's Nisith Pramanik and Congress' Priya Roy Chowdhury in the Cooch Behar constituency.
Along with Cooch Behar, Alipurduars is the second seat to go to polls in West Bengal in the first phase.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: What's the Mood in Jammu and Kashmir?
Polling Underway in Jammu
Here is a photo from Jammu's Gandhi Nagar where voters have queued up to cast their votes for the Lok Sabha elections.
BJP's Jugal Kishore Sharma is up against Congress' Raman Bhalla in Jammu.
'Voting is Our Duty, Everyone Should Vote': Mohan Bhagwat From Nagpur
After casting his vote from the Nagpur parliamentary constituency, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "Voting is our duty, everyone should vote. Voting should be done for national security, vikas and for unity."
'Specially Urge Young and First-Time Voters to Vote in Large Numbers': PM Modi
Just before the commencement of the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah took to Twitter to urge people to vote.
Amit Shah also posted messages on Twitter addressed directly to the states and UTs voting today, including Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat to Cast His Vote From Nagpur
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has reached a polling booth in Nagpur to cast his vote. Nagpur is seeing a high-profile contest between Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress' Nana Patole.
Maharashtra Elections: What Happened in 2014?
The Shiv Sena and the BJP contesting in alliance won big in the last Lok Sabha elections of 2014, with the former winning 18 seats and the latter 23. The NCP and the Congress suffered major losses.
Will anti-incumbency play a role in Maharashtra to give an edge to the Congress-NCP combine this time around?
Odisha Elections: What Happened in 2014?
Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) swept the previous Lok Sabha elections of 2014, winning 20 seats, while the BJP won just one.
Will the saffron party make inroads into the state this time around?
Elections 2019: Key Contests to Watch Out For
Maharashtra’s Nagpur would see Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari contesting against Congress’ Nana Patole who was previously in the saffron party.
In Chandrapur, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir would be contesting against Suresh Narayan Dhanorkar of the Congress and Sushil Segoji Wasnik of the BSP.
In BJD-ruled Odisha, where Assembly elections are also going to be held, state BJP President Basanta Kumar Panda would be up against Bhakta Charan Das of the Congress and Pushpendra Singh Deo of the BJD in the Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat.
In Berhampur, BJP’s Brughu Baxipatra would be fighting V Chandrasekhar Naidu of the Congress and Chandra Sekhar Sahu of the BJD.
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Published: 11 Apr 2019,06:05 AM IST