New Delhi: A total of 1,717 candidates are in the fray in 96 Lok Sabha seats spread over 10 states and Union Territories and more than 19 lakh polling officials have been deployed at 1.92 lakh polling stations for over 17.70 crore eligible voters, including 8.73 women, in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
The voting which started Monday at 7am will continue till 6pm.
Polling is being held in all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, all 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Jharkhand, eight in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, four in Odisha, eight in West Bengal and one in Jammu and Kashmir.
Over 62 per cent turnout till 5pm
A voter turnout of more than 62 per cent was recorded till 5pm Monday in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls in 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories amid incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
According to the Election Commission, a voting percentage of 62.31 was recorded till 5pm. The voting will continue till 6pm.
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 5pm with 35.75 per cent of voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 75.66 per cent.
Among other states, Andhra Pradesh recorded 68.04 per cent polling, Bihar 54.14 per cent, Jharkhand 63.14 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 68.01 per cent, Maharashtra 52.49 per cent, Odisha 62.96 per cent, Telangana 61.16 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 56.35 per cent.
52% turnout till 3pm
A voter turnout of more than 52 per cent was recorded till 3pm Monday in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories amid incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal as well as reports of poll boycott in some Uttar Pradesh villages.
There were also reports of EVMs malfunctioning at some booths in West Bengal and Odisha.
According to the Election Commission, a voting percentage of 52.60 was recorded till 3pm. The voting which started at 7am will continue till 6pm.
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 3 pm with 29.93 per cent of voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 66.05 per cent.
Among other states, Andhra Pradesh recorded 55.49 per cent polling, Bihar 45.23 per cent, Jharkhand 46.42 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 59.63 per cent, Maharashtra 42.35 per cent, Odisha 52.91 per cent, Telangana 52.34 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 48.41 per cent.
EVM glitch in West Bengal
In Bengal, both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have lodged complaints alleging EVM malfunctioning, agents being stopped from entering polling booths and voters being either threatened or stopped from going to cast their votes in different constituencies.
The TMC lodged around 139 complaints while the BJP over 35 till 9am, party sources said.
“We have received 350 complaints, of which 99 were disposed of. Our officials in the respective constituencies are looking into the others. They will be resolved quickly,” an official said.
Congress Baharampur candidate Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and his TMC rival former cricketer Yusuf Pathan said they were happy with the way polling is being conducted there.
TMC’s Krishanagar candidate Mahua Moitra said the election is being conducted peacefully and she was moving to different polling stations to keep a tab on the polling there.
West Bengal Monday recorded a voter turnout of 75.66 per cent in the eight Lok Sabha constituencies till 5pm, an election official said.
The Bolpur (SC) Lok Sabha constituency registered the maximum polling of 77.77 per cent followed by Ranaghat (SC) with 77.46 per cent, he said.
Bardhaman-Purba recorded 77.36 per cent of polling while Krishnanagar (77.29 per cent), Birbhum (SC) (75.45 per cent) Baharampur (75.36 per cent), Bardhaman-Durgapur (75.02 per cent), and Asansol (69.43 per cent), he added.
The poll panel said it has so far received 1,088 complaints from various political parties alleging EVM malfunctioning and agents being stopped from entering booths.
Presiding officer removed
The presiding officer of a polling booth at Ilam Bazar in West Bengal’s Birbhum district was removed from duty Monday after he was spotted in webcasting allowing irregularities by local Trinamool Congress leaders inside the booth.
The officials monitoring the webcasting noticed two local Trinamool leaders escorting the voters to the polling booth and guiding them on which button to press on the EVM.
Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said the irregularities were happening in front of the presiding officer, who refused to act.
The matter was brought to the notice of the higher officials in the CEO’s office, who immediately ordered the removal of the presiding officer and replaced him with his standby.
All guns blazing in Telugu states
Till 3pm, Andhra Pradesh recorded a 55.49 per cent voter turnout for the 25 Lok Sabha seats and it was the same for the 175-seat Assembly seats while Telangana recorded an approximate voter turnout of 52.34 per cent Monday as polling was underway for 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state, according to an Election Commission app.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan are among 2,387 candidates for 175 Assembly seats.
For the 25 Lok Sabha seats, 454 contestants are in the fray and the prominent among them are former Union Minister and state BJP chief D. Purandeswari (Rajahmundry), state Congress President Y.S. Sharmila Reddy (Kadapa), and former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy (BJP, Rajampet).
Prominent among the early voters were former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP chief in Telangana G Kishan Reddy, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, popular Telugu actors Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu.
“Several voters including some senior citizens cast their votes. People, in large numbers, are coming out to vote. I am requesting the people to come and exercise their franchise for democracy and the country’s security,” Kishan Reddy told reporters after casting his vote.
Owaisi said the country is bigger than any individual and people should vote for the country.
“The country is bigger than any individual. Don’t vote for an individual and vote for the country and vote for a party,” the AIMIM leader said.
Speaking to mediapersons after casting his vote, Jagan Mohan Reddy said the people have seen the best governance during the past five years.
“You have seen the governance and if you think you have benefited from this governance then vote for that governance which would lead to a brighter future,” he told reporters.
Madhavi Latha vs burqa-clad women
BJP candidate for Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat K Madhavi Latha was Monday booked by election authorities after a video clip in which she was purportedly asking burqa-clad women Muslim voters to show their faces to compare with the photo identity cards surfaced.
In the video, Latha was seen asking the women voters at a polling booth to lift the burqa and show their faces so that she could verify their identity.
“A case is registered in Malakpet police station against Madhavi Latha, contesting candidate, BJP, under Sections 171C, 186, 505(1)(c) of IPC and Section 132 of the Representation of the People Act,” the Hyderabad Collector said in a post on X.
She was also seen telling the policemen to allow voters into polling booths only after a thorough check.
Andhra poll violence
As the polling progressed, many incidents of violence were reported from Andhra Pradesh.
YSRCP leader and Tenali MLA A Shiva Kumar allegedly manhandled a voter in Tenali following an argument, police said, adding the voter also retaliated.
At Dalavaipalli village in Railway Kodur constituency, an EVM was destroyed while cars belonging to the ruling party and TDP were damaged, a police official said.
A TDP agent was attacked at Nakkaladinne village in Myduruku constituency, leading to his hospitalisation.
The YSRCP alleged that party agent Suresh Reddy was stabbed at Mandi Krishnapuram village in Chittoor’s Gudipala mandal. It also alleged that TDP supporters attacked party member B Anji Reddy at Aravallipadu in Darsi constituency.
TDP MLC Mohammed Ahmed Shariff wrote a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena, complaining about alleged attacks by YSRCP cadres on TDP supporters at Rentala village in Rentichintala mandal of Palnadu district.
42.35% voter turnout recorded in 11 LS seats in Maharashtra till 3pm
A voter turnout of 42.35 per cent was recorded till 3pm Monday in 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, where polling is underway in the fourth phase of the general election, the state electoral office said.
Polling began at 7am and will end at 6pm in Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi, and Beed constituencies.
According to the data shared by the authorities, tribal-dominated Nandurbar recorded 49.91 per cent polling, while Jalna saw 47.51 per cent turnout until 3 pm.
Beed saw 46.49 per cent polling, followed by Raver at 45.26 per cent, Shirdi at 44.87 per cent, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 43.76 per cent, Jalgaon at 42.15 per cent, Ahmednagar at 41.35 per cent, Maval at 36.54 per cent, Shirur at 36.43 per cent, and Pune at 35.61 per cent.
Union minister Raosaheb Danve, BJP leader Pankaja Munde and actor-turned-politician Amol Kolhe are among the prominent candidates.
A total of 298 candidates are in the fray, with Beed having the highest number of 41 candidates and Nandurbar the lowest number at 11.
Altogether, 2.28 crore voters are eligible to participate in the fourth phase of the election in the state. They comprise 1.18 crore men, 1.09 crore women, and 1,272 third-gender voters.
59.63% turnout in Madhya Pradesh’s eight Lok Sabha seats till 3pm
An average voter turnout of 59.63 per cent was recorded till 3pm Monday in eight Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where polling was underway in the fourth and last phase of general elections in the state, officials said.
Among the eight seats, Khargone so far recorded the highest 63.84 per cent polling, Dewas 63.08 per cent, Dhar 60.18 per cent, Indore 48.04 per cent, Khandwa 59.87 per cent, Mandsour 61.58 per cent, Ratlam 62.78 per cent and Ujjain 60.83 per cent, as per official figures.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was among the early voters. He exercised his franchise in Ujjain, his home town, along with his family members.
UP: All eyes on Kannauj & Kheri, villagers boycott election
The keenly watched seats in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections in Uttar Pradesh include Kannauj, from where Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav is seeking re-election, and Kheri, from where Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son is an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, is eyeing a hat-trick.
Uttar Pradesh witnessed instances of poll boycotts with people in some villages of Shahjahanpur keeping away from the process to protest against the lack of roads and development.
BJP accuses SP workers of booth capturing
The BJP has alleged disruption in the poll process in Kannauj Lok Sabha seat.
In a post on social media, the BJP alleged that in booth nos. 80, 81, 91, 94, 102,161 and 172, SP workers, criminals and the mafia were preventing BJP voters from casting their votes.
The BJP also alleged that the Presiding Officer and the police were helping SP workers in booth capturing. The BJP hast tagged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in its post and sought urgent action in the matter.
A voter turnout of 48.41 per cent was recorded till 3 pm Monday in Uttar Pradesh where polling is underway in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections.
Till 3pm, 48.41 per cent of voters had exercised their right to franchise, according to Election Commission (EC) figures.
Akbarpur parliamentary constituency has recorded 46.36 per cent polling, Bahraich 49.10 per cent, Dhaurahra 54.05 per cent, Etawah 46.19 per cent, Farrukhabad 49.17 per cent, Hardoi 47.99 per cent, Kannauj 51.73 per cent, Kanpur 41.44 per cent, Kheri 53.87 per cent, Misrikh 47.01 per cent, Shahjahanpur 44.21 per cent, Sitapur 52.87 per cent and Unnao 46.56 per cent, according to EC data.
Jharkhand: Maoist attempt thwarted, CM Champai Soren casts vote
Security forces thwarted an attempt by Maoists to obstruct voter access to polling booths by felling a tree and blocking a road leading to remote Sonapi and Morangponga areas of West Singhbhum district.
Besides, a voter turnout of 63.14 per cent was recorded till 5pm in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand where polling was held Monday, officials said.
Voting started at 7am in Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Khunti and Palamu seats amid tight security measures, marking the first phase of elections in the eastern state. Polling was peaceful in all the four seats, officials added.
Singhbhum registered the highest voter turnout of 66.11 per cent, followed by Khunti (65.82), Lohardaga (62.60) and Palamu (59.99).
The overall voter turnout in these four constituencies was 66.01 per cent in the 2019 LS polls.
Much enthusiasm was witnessed among voters, especially in the Maoist-hit areas in Singhbhum, Palamu and Lohardaga. In some of these places, people voted after decades.
Chief Minister Champai Soren voted along with his family at his ancestral village Jilinggora.
“I voted in my village today ensuring my participation in this grand festival of the world’s largest democracy,” he said.
Polls in Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370: 14.94% polling in Srinagar till 11am, figure higher than 2019 total turnout
A 14.94 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency Monday, higher than the overall turnout of the 2019 elections for the seat in Jammu and Kashmir, according to official figures.
Voting started at 7am in the constituency where polling is underway in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections.
The redrawn Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency has registered a poll percentage of 14.94 till 11 am, according to Election Commission figures.
Voting was progressing peacefully in Jammu and Kashmir where three generations of the Abdullah family cast their vote in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Nearly 17.48 lakh electorate are eligible to vote in the election to the prestigious Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency and 24 candidates are in the fray. It is the first major election in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Odisha: Two poll officials suspended
The Election Commission suspended two polling officials in Odisha for dereliction of duty, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said.
EVM glitches were also reported in several places in Odisha. An official said 65 Ballot Units (BU), 83 Control Units (CU) and 110 VVPATs have been replaced so far and most of the replacements were done during the mock poll exercise before starting real voting at 7 am.
Wife’s name of former IAF chief missing from electoral roll
Former Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik was among the early voters in Maharashtra’s Pune. However, the name of his wife Madhubala was found deleted from the voters list.
ACM Naik, 75, along with his wife and son Vineet, 43, went to exercise their franchise at polling booth 26 at Sapling School Baner Road in Pune Monday morning as soon as voting began.
“While I and my son were able to vote, my 72-year-old wife’s name was found deleted from the voters’ list. When we brought this to the attention of the official there, he said that there was nothing he could do to help,” ACM Naik told PTI.
Polling agents kidnapped
Polling was progressing peacefully across the country barring an instance of three TDP polling agents being allegedly kidnapped from Chittoor district. They were subsequently rescued by the Election Commission.
BSF personnel save life of polling officer
Narayan Chakraborty (55), a polling officer at Booth 93 of the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha Constituency in West Bengal, got a fresh lease of life Monday, thanks to the prompt action by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel of the 115 Battalion, who were on duty at the premises.
EC believes weather affects turnout
The voter turnout in the first three phases of the Lok Sabha elections was 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent and 65.68 per cent, respectively.
The EC believes that the heatwave conditions are one of the reasons for lower voter turnout in the last three phases as compared to the 2019 parliamentary polls.
Citing an India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, the poll authority had said Sunday hat “there is no significant concern regarding hot weather conditions for the polling in Phase 4.”
Keeping in mind the hot weather conditions and people’s reluctance to step out in the afternoon, the Election Commission has increased poll timing in some Telangana seats.
Polling for the next three phases in the country is May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is June 4.
PTI