Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 1 Voting Highlights: During the first phase of polling of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, clashes between workers of Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress were reported at various places in Andhra Pradesh. According to reports, a TDP worker was killed in Anantapur district after he was attacked by YSR Congress workers. Police had to resort lathi-charge to control the situation.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has levelled a serious allegation against Uttar Pradesh Police. Mayawati claimed that Dalit voters were being stopped by UP cops from casting their vote. The party said it will approach the Election Commission with its complaint.
Several complaints about EVM glitch and tampering emerged from across the country. While former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah claimed that Congress button was inactive on EVMs in Poonch, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu said that about 30 per cent EVMs were not working till 10 am in his state. Naidu has written to Election Commission urging it to order repolling. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal too claimed massive rigging in polls. In Bijnor, Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Malook Nagar claimed that EVMs have been tampered and BSP votes were being redirected in BJP’s account.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Muzaffarnagar candidate Sanjiv Balyan triggered a controversy claiming fake voting in his constituency. Balyan claimed that face of burqa clad women are not being checked at polling booths. The BJP leader said he would demand a repoll if need be. Taking note of Balyan’s statement, the Election Commission warned the BJP leader to refrain from making such remark in future.
Earlier, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah were among the first leaders to appeal people to vote in large numbers as polling for the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 began today.
The Election Commission had made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of polls. Security officials were deployed across all the 91 seats and also confidence-building measures had been taken by them in the sensitive region.
The remaining six phases will be held on April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Results will be declared on May 23.
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Election commission which acted actively in transferring the officials; couldn't maintain EVMs & VVPATs. They've failed. You had to face troubles in the scorching heat. I'm very disappointed & feeling bad for it.However I once again appeal to all of you to cast your vote, Chandrababu Naidu said.
Telangana recorded 60.57 per cent voting till fivepm across 17 Lok Sabha constituencies of the State where former Union minister Renuka Chowdhury and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi are among prominent candidates in the fray.
Medakrecorded highest number of voter turnout with 68.60 per cent while Secunderabad from where senior BJP leader Kishan Reddy registered just 39.20 per cent polling till five pm.
Bihar: 50.26%
Telangana: 60.57%
Meghalaya: 62%
Uttar Pradesh: 59.77%
Manipur: 78.20%
Lakshadweep: 65.9%
Assam: 68%
BSF personnel fired in the air at a polling booth here on Thursday as some people, who were not carrying their identity cards, tried to forcibly enter the premises to cast their votes, police said.
The incident took place at a polling booth in Rasoolpur Gujran village under Kandhla police station around 12 pm, they said.
Clashes broke out Thursday between workers of TDP and YSR Congress at various places in Andhra Pradesh as voting got underway for the 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats.
The apple town of Sopore, a hotbed of separatists and militancy with a reputation of remaining indifferent to electoral politics, saw a slight improvement in turnout during polling for Baramulla Lok Sabha seat Thursday.
Defying boycott call by separatists and militant threats, three per cent of the over one lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm at polling stations in Sopore assembly segment, which is part of Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in north Kashmir, officials said.
Brisk polling was recorded in eight parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls Thursday, with an estimated 50 per cent voter turnout till 3 pm, an official said.
Despite hot weather conditions, voters turned out in large numbers and polling was going on peacefully, an official of the state election department said.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis cast his vote for the Lok Sabha election at Dharampeth Hindi High School polling booth in Nagpur on Thursday. Union minister and sitting MP Nitin Gadkari is facing Congress' Nana Patole in Nagpur constituency.
Telangana recorded 48.95 per cent polling till three pm across 17 Lok Sabha constituencies of the State where former Union minister Renuka Chowdhury and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi are among prominent candidates in the fray as voting progessed peacefully.
Zaheerabad recorded highest number of voter turnout with 63.39 per cent while Hyderabad from where AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi is seeking re-election registered 27.79 per cent till three pm.
Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party has approached the Election Commission that Dalit voters are being stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police from casting their vote in first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019. Voting on seats like Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar is underway.
Voter turnout in first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 till 3 pm is as follow:
Lakshadweep - 51.25 per cent
Uttarakhand - 46.59 per cent
Manipur - 68.90 per cent
Nagpur - 38.35 per cent
TDP leader Kodela Siva Prasada Rao attacked at a polling booth in Sattenapalli, Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh
In a tragic incident, a tractor carrying people from a polling booth overturned in near Shankarpur village in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra killing three people. Nine people sustained injuries in the accident.
BSF personnel fire shots in air after some people tried to vote without voter ID in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli. Voting was stopped for some time, but it has resumed now, says Shamli district magistrate.
Jyoti Amge, who is world's smallest living woman according to Guinness World Records, exercised her voting rights during the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019. Amge who is just 63 cm in height, cast her vote in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his wife cast their vote at a polling booth in Siddipet district. Polling on all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana is underway.
Polling for first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 is underway on four seats in Bihar. Gaya has recorded 33 per cent polling, Aurangabad 34.60 per cent, Nawada 37 per cent and Jamui 29 per cent till 1 pm.
A polling booth in Campbell Bay, Andaman & Nicobar Islands has been decked up to welcome voters for the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019
Sumitra Rai aged 105 used her voting rights in Sikkim's Kamrang South District during the first phase voting for Lok Sabha election. Sikkim is also voting to elect a new Assembly.
Voting on five Parliamentary seats in Uttarakhand is underway. Over 41 per cent polling has been recording till 1 pm.
Tollywood actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha caste their vote at polling booth in Nanakramguda, Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
Sonia Gandhi, flanked by son Rahul and daughter Priyanka, holds a roadshow in Rae Bareli ahead of filing her nomination. The Gandhi family also performed havan ahead of the roadshow. Read full story here.
Poonch District Election Officer has rejected former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah's claim that Congress button was not working in EVMs. "There was an issue with Congress button in Shahpur, our staff replaced the machine. At another polling station BJP button wasn't working, we changed that also," the officer said.
Several people were injured as workers of TDP and YSR Congress clashed in Puthalapattu Constituency in Bandarlapalli, Andhra Pradesh. Police had to resort to lathi-charge to control the situation. WATCH VIDEO:
Naxals trigger an IED blast near a polling booth in Etapalli in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. No injuries have been reported so far.
Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that anti-BJP votes are being deleted from EVMs across the country. "Reports coming from all across India that votes have been deleted on unprecedented scale," Kejriwal tweeted.
Voting for first phase of polling for Lok Sabha election 2019 has picked pace. Jammu and Baramulla parliamentary constituencies have recorded
24.66 per cent voting voting till 11 am. In West Bengal 38.08 per cent voting has been recorded on two seats. In Tripura and Meghalaya 26.5 per cent, 27 per cent voting have been reported respectively.
The Election Commission has pulled up BJP's Muzaffarnagar candidate and Union Minister Sanjiv Balyan for his controversial remark that burqa-clad women were indulging in fake voting. Balyan had said that face of women in burqa was not being checked at polling booth before casting vote.
A leader of Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena smashed an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) inside a polling station in Gooty area of of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh. Madhusudan Gupta was arrested for disrupting the election process. | WATCH VIDEO HERE
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has written to the Election Commission claiming that about 30 per cent EVMs were not working till 10 am. Many voters who returned may not come back for voting even if polling is resumed after replacement of existing EVMs. Therefore, repolling is needed in all polling stations where polling had not commenced by 9.30am, Naidu said. Read full story here
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has claimed that Congress button on EVMs in Poonch is not working.
Villagers in Naxal hotbed Dantewada turnout in large numbers to cast their votes for Lok Sabha election 2019. Earlier this week, Naxals had triggered an IED blast killing BJP MLA Bheema Mandvi and four of his security guards in Dantewada.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari cast his vote at polling booth number 220 in Nagpur parliamentary constituency. Read full story here. Maharashtra: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari cast his vote at polling booth number 220 in Nagpur parliamentary constituency #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/hSrlIySwUV— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2019
BSP candidate from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh has alleged EVM tampering. Malook Nagar says he will approach the Election Commission to report the issue.
Voting is yet to pick up pace in West Bengal. 8.12 per cent voting has been reported in the state ruled by the Trinamool Congress so far. Whereas in Mizoram the voting percentage is 17.5. In Manipur, 15.6 per cent voting reported till 9 am. 10.2 per cent voting in Chhattisgarh.
Sikkim has recorded 34 per cent voting, Mizoram 17 per cent, and Nagaland 21 per cent till 9 am. Assembly elections are being held simultaneously with Lok Sabha polls in Sikkim.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has urged voters to vote wisely for the soul of India and its future. 'You vote today for the soul of India. For her future. Vote wisely,' Rahul Gandhi tweeted. | READ full story here
Voter turnout recorded till 9 am in Telangana is 10.6%, 5.83% in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 10.2% in Assam and 13.3% in Arunachal Pradesh
Voter turnout till 9 am in Saharanpur- 8%, Kairana-10%, Muzaffarnagar-10%, Meerut- 10%, Bijnor - 11%, Baghpat - 11%, Ghaziabad - 12% and Gautam Budh Nagar-12%
About 10.20 per cent voting has been reported till 9 am in Naxal hotbed Bastar, Chhattisgarh. While the BJP has fielded Baiduram Kashyap, the Congress has given a ticket to Dipak Baij from Bastar.