New Delhi, April 19 (Bureau) As India celebrating election festival across the country, it seems every where a smooth voting process concluded in its first phase of Lok Sabha election. Madhya Pradesh on Friday recorded around 70 per cent polling as over 1.13 crore voters exercised their franchise. The figure is likely to rise. The fate of 88 candidates from Chhindwara, Sidhi, Shahdol ST, Jabalpur, Mandla ST and Balaghat was sealed in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). Similarly, the single phase Polling to elect 39 members to the 18th Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu and the lone LS seat in the Union Territory of Puducherry ended on Friday evening, amid tight security. The polling, which began at 0700 hrs, ended at 1800 hrs and passed off peacefully. Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said the polling was by and large peaceful. Barring some minor incidents, where voters in few places announced boycott of polling initially and later turned up to cast their vote after being pacified by the authorities and minor protests and complaints of glitches in EVMS, no major untoward incident was reported from any part of the State. As per the latest updates, an estimated 65 per cent polling was reported in Tamil Nadu and nearly 75 per cent in Puducherry as the polling drew to a close.
In Uttar Pradesh an estimated 58.14 percent of the total 1.44 crore electorate exercised their franchise across eight parliamentary constituencies in the first phase of Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh amidst tight security arrangements on Friday as Chief Electoral Officer of UP Navdeep Rinwa said. In Maharashtra amid scorching heat in the central Indian landscape, half of the vast Vidarbha region of Maharashtra registered 54.85 per cent voting in first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday. In Rajsthan around 52.43 percent of the more than 2.53 crore voters exercised their democratic rights across 12 parliamentary constituencies in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, poll officials said here. It may be noted that stakes are high for both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition party Congress in the state. In Sikkim Voting for lone Lok Sabha and 32 assembly seats in Sikkim completed peacefully on Friday. As per the Election Commission, till 5 p.m. 68.06 per cent of 4.64 lakh electorate exercised their franchise. In Meghalaya an estimated 69.91 percent of the total 22,26,567 electorate have cast their ballots as polling for the two Lok Sabha seats – Shillong and Tura – in Meghalaya, passed off peacefully on Friday.
Mizoram witnessed a low voter turnout on Friday with only 52.62 percent of the total 8,56,364 eligible voters casting their votes by 5 PM across the 1,276 polling stations in the state, during the first phase of the general elections to the Lok Sabha on Friday, officials said. In Bihar An estimated 48.23 percent of 76,01,629 electorate exercised their franchise amid tight security arrangements during the first phase of Lok Sabha election in four seats, which passed off peacefully on Friday as Chief Electoral Officer H R Srinivasan told media persons here. In Arunachal Pradesh more than 65 per cent electorate have cast their votes till 5 pm in the simultaneous elections to the 18th Lok Sabha and the 11th State Legislative Assembly, according to the data available with the poll panel. In the election for the two Parliamentary seats, around 64.20 per cent voters cast their votes, while in Assembly polls the voter turnout was recorded at 66.15 per cent, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) data.
Barring reports of stray violence, the first phase election to three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal was by and large peaceful as 77.57 percent of the 5.6 million electorate exercised their franchise till 5 PM on Friday. In Meghalaya a festive mood prevailed across the state as people thronged polling stations to decide the fate of 10 candidates aspiring to be people’s representatives in Shillong and Tura Lok Sabha constituencies. In almost all the polling stations, voters were queuing up, while workers of rival political parties were making the last ditch effort to get electorates to vote for their respective candidates. State Chief Electoral Officer, Dr. B.D.R. Tiwari said an estimated 61.94 percent of over 22 lakh voters in Meghalaya has voted till 3.30 PM. In Manipur the poll percentage by 11 AM was 29.61 Percent. The percentage was 31.62 percent in Inner Manipur and 26.02 percent in Outer Manipur which by 1 PM was 49.44 percent and 41.49 percent respectively. Poll percentage gradually increased to 67.71 percent in the Inner and 54.63 in the Outer. The first phase of the election for two Parliamentary constituencies concluded at 4 PM on Friday with reports of firing, EVM snatching, and violence.