Modest turnout in sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls
New Delhi: An average of over 30 per cent turnout was recorded till Sunday afternoon in 59 seats spread over UP, Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls.
Elections are being held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, eights constituencies each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, seven seats in Delhi and four in Jharkhand.
The national capital recorded a turnout of over 34 per cent till 1.00pm, poll officials said.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj were among those who cast their votes here. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Union Minister and BJP’s Chandni Chowk candidate Harsh Vardhan, ex-cricketer and BJP’s East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir, Congress’s New Delhi and North East Delhi candidates Ajay Maken and Sheila Dikshit also cast their votes.
In West Bengal, violence was reported in some areas even as voters came out in good numbers to exercise their franchise. One BJP worker was killed while BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh suffered injuries when she was heckled by alleged Trinamool Congress supporters when she visited a booth in the constituency of Ghatal from which she is contesting.
“Polling is mostly peaceful except some incidents of disturbances from one or two places in Keshpur. We have sought reports from election officials,” a senior official of the state CEO’s office said.
In Haryana, a voter turnout of 22.87 per cent was recorded till 11.00am in ten constituencies.
JJP leader Digvijay Chautala, who is contesting from Sonipat, alleged that at booth numbers 88, 89 and 90 in Jind district, his party symbol (a pair of slippers) was ‘not clearly visible on EVM machines’ and some voters had complained to him in this regard. “This is a serious matter and the Election Commission must look into this,” Chautala said.
Uttar Pradesh witnessed over 34 per cent polling in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state till 1.00pm.
“In Azamgarh, a presiding officer was removed following complaints of SP workers, A report has been sought from the district magistrate,” UP’s chief electoral officer L Venkateshwar Lu said. He also said that there have been complaints about EVMs and VVPAT and the machines have been replaced.
Bihar saw over 20 per cent voting with 1.38 crore voters exercising their franchise in the first four hours of polling in eight Lok Sabha seats while Madhya Pradesh witnessed an average 28.01 per cent voter turnout till Sunday noon in eight Lok Sabha seats.
BJP government is going: Priyanka
New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Sunday it is ‘very clear’ that the BJP will face defeat in Lok Sabha polls as people are ‘angry and distressed’ and will convey their sentiments through EVMs. Interacting with reporters here after exercising her franchise, the senior party leader said, it was ‘very clear that the BJP government is going’.
“There is anger among people, and they are under distress. (Narendra) Modiji, instead of talking about real issues, has been talking about random things. And, now, they will express their anger against this government through voting,” the Congress general secretary said.
BJP worker killed as violence mars West Bengal polls
Kolkata: A BJP worker was killed in West Bengal’s Jhargram while Trinamool supporters sustained bullet injuries in West Midnapore by midday during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polling Sunday that was marred by a number of violent incidents and bids to intimidate voters.
Despite the clashes, nearly 38 per cent of 1,33,56,964 voters registered their votes till 11.00am in the eight constituencies spread across five districts.
Accidental gunshot kills polling official in Bihar
Patna: Around 21.52 per cent of 1.38 crore voters exercised their franchise in the first four hours of polling in eight Lok Sabha seats of Bihar in the sixth phase, Sunday, election officials said.
A polling officer was killed at a polling station in a freak incident of firing by a home guard before polling started in Sheohar Lok Sabha seat. The home guard was cleaning his gun when it went off.
Age is just a number for Bachan Singh
New Delhi: Age is just a number, said a family member of the 111-year-old Bachan Singh, the oldest voter in Delhi who carried a youthful enthusiasm into the polling station in Tilak Vihar here, Sunday
Till the last Assembly elections in 2015, the centenarian cycled to the polling booth to cast his vote. This time, he reached the booth in a car along with poll officers in full media glare. He was later wheeled into the polling both using a chair.
Polling picks up in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow: Voting picked up in Uttar Pradesh after a slow start Sunday in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state.The average poll percentage was 21.98 per cent, a state election office spokesperson said.
Love will prevail over hate says Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi cast his vote Sunday inthe Lok Sabha polls here and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the latter ‘used hatred’ during the elections but the grand old party ‘used love’.
Asserting that these elections saw a ‘good fight’ between the two rival parties, Rahul said he thought ‘love is going to win’.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi used hatred, we (Congress) love. And, I think love is going to win,” he told reporters, soon after exercising his franchise.
Clad in his trademark kurta-pyjama, he was accompanied by party’s New Delhi candidate Ajay Maken on way to the polling booth, a walking distance from his Tughlaq Lane residence.
“There are four issues in this election, these are not our issues but people’s issues. And most important among these is of unemployment. Then, condition of farmers, demonetisation, Gabbar Singh Tax (mocking GST), corruption and the Rafale issue,” Rahul informed.
BJP candidate attacked in West Bengal
Kolkata: Polling at eight Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal remained ‘peaceful’ as 16.68 per cent of 1,33,69,749 voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of voting during the sixth phase, Sunday, an election official said. There were however, reports of attack on BJP’s Ghatal candidate, former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, when she tried to enter a polling booth in Keshpur
Moderate turnout in first 2 hours of polling in seven states
New Delhi: Amid reports of attack on a BJP candidate in West Bengal and EVM glitches, polling was underway Sunday in 59 seats, including in the heartland states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and in Delhi in the sixth and penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls.
Union Ministers Radha Mohan Singh, Harsh Vardhan and Maneka Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia are among several prominent faces in the fray in this phase.
Elections are being held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, eights constituencies each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, seven seats in Delhi and four in Jharkhand.
Kejriwal asks people not to vote for those spreading hatred
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people Sunday morning to vote for those who have done work and not for those spreading ‘hatred’ and ‘venom’ as polling in seven Lok Sabha constituencies got underway. The Chief Minister requested people not to vote for those who are stopping the works of Delhi.
“Good morning Delhi. Please vote. Vote for those who have done your works. Don’t vote for those who are spreading hatred and venom and also stopping developmental works in Delhi. Your vote can change the country,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Voters queued up outside polling booths Sunday morning in all the constituencies of the city where former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan and cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir are among those in the fray.
Voting began at 7.00 am and among the early voters were Dikshit, party’s New Delhi candidate Ajay Maken, Union Minister Vardhan, BJP’s East Delhi candidate Gambhir, and BJP national general secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal.
Over 1.43 crore people in Delhi are eligible to vote in this election which will decide the fate of 164 candidates, of which 18 are women. There are 43 independent candidates. While 2,54,723 voters are in the age group of 18 and 19, there are 40,532 electorate with disability who would be provided pick up and drop facility.
Voting begins
New Delhi: Voting is underway for the sixth and penultimate phase of Lok Sabha elections Sunday. A total of 59 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across seven states are facing polls. Over 10.17 crore voters will decide the fate of 979 candidates. More than 1.13 lakh polling stations are in place for smooth conduct of polls. In the last five phases, 424 out of 543 seats have already gone to the polls. Percentage wise, 78 per cent seats have undergone the electoral exercise till the fifth phase