The Lok Sabha 2024 is in motion as the first phase of elections are underway Friday, 19 April, in 102 constituencies in 21 states and UTs.
Dharmapuri LS segment witnessed the highest voter turnout of 67.52 percent, while South Chennai recorded the lowest of 57.04 percent. (ECI Website)
The Lok Sabha 2024 juggernaut kickstarted with its first phase concluding on Friday, 19 April in 102 constituencies across 21 states and UTs.
The Narendra Modi-led NDA is determined to return for its third term in office. The Opposition INDIA Bloc puts up an equally resistant fight to unseat the 10-year incumbent.
The focus of the first phase is Tamil Nadu and its 39 seats.
At 5 pm on Friday, the EC provisionally put the voter turnout at 62.65 percent.
Around 59.02 percent of the 57,784 voters in the lone Lok Sabha constituency in Lakshadweep have exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Friday, officials said.
People in queue to cast their votes in the Andrott island in Lakshadweep, (Supplied)
A voter turnout of 77.57 percent was recorded till 5 pm in the three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal where elections were held in the first phase on Friday, an official said.
Polling started at 7 am in Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars seats, where a total of 56.26 lakh people are eligible to vote, they said.
"Till 5 pm, the voter turnout in Coochbehar was 77.73 percent, while that in Jalpaiguri was 79.33 percent, and in Alipurduars was 75.54 percent," an election official said.
A voter turnout of 54.85 percent was recorded till 5 pm in the five Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the first phase of the general elections on Friday, an official said.
The turnout stood at 64.95 percent in Gadchiroli-Chimur till 5 pm, followed by Bhandara-Gondia at 56.87 percent, Chandrapur at 55.11 percent, Nagpur at 47.91 percent and Ramtek at 52.38 percent.
The unique Malogam polling station in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh recorded cent percent polling with the lone female voter, exercising her constitutional right on Friday, officials said.
The 44-year-old Sokela Tayang cast her vote around 1 pm, a district official said.
For the single voter, a team of polling officials trekked nearly 40 km on foot through treacherous terrain and set up a voting booth in the remote polling station.
“I am delighted to exercise my franchise and thanked the election authorities for giving me the opportunity to cast my vote,” Sokela said.
An average voter turnout of 57.54 percent was recorded till 5 pm on Friday in eight western Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha constituencies where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election.
The polling began at 7 am.
According to the Election Commission (EC), till 5 pm, 63.29 percent voting was reported in Saharanpur, 57.65 percent in Moradabad, 58.68 percent in Kairana, 58.05 percent in Nagina, 60.23 percent in Pilibhit, 54.68 percent in Bijnor, 52.42 percent in Rampur and 54.91 percent in Muzaffarnagar.
Around 46.32 percent of the 75 lakh voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Friday, officials said.
The polling began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, a senior election official said.
Tight security arrangements were in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides the reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as "sensitive".
Over 49.95 percent voters have exercised their franchise in Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency, 48.54 percent in Gaya, 47.09 percent in Jamui and 40.20 percent in Nawada till 5 pm, officials said.
An estimated 56.87 percent of the total 3,15,148 voters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Friday for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union territory, an official said.
Speaking to PTI, Returning Officer Arjun Sharma said, "It’s good to see that a large number of voters including elderly and physically challenged people turned up despite hot and humid weather. Every ballot is a testament to unity and participation. Voting will continue till 7 pm."
More than 53 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm on Friday in the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttarakhand, officials here said.
The voting began at 7 am and the five constituencies recorded an overall poll percentage of 53.56 at 5 pm, when polling ended, the officials said. They added that those already standing in the queues will be allowed to exercise their franchise.
The Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat recorded the highest voter turnout of 59.36 pe cent, followed by Haridwar (59.01 percent), Tehri Garhwal (51.01 percent), Pauri Garhwal (48.79 percent) and Almora (44.43 percent).
The final voter turnout in the 2019 general election in Uttarakhand was 61.48 percent.
A voter turnout of more than 63 percent was recorded till 5 pm on Friday in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-affected Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, which saw the death of a CRPF constable after a grenade accidentally went off and injury to an officer in an IED blast, officials said.
Polling in the Bastar seat started at 7 am and was held in different time slots amid tight security in the first phase of the elections.
A voter turnout of 63.41 percent turnout was registered till 5 pm, an election official said.
The voter turnout in the vast constituency stood at 66.04 percent in 2019.
Polling for the 2024 general election ended at 6 pm on Friday in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu with the state recording a provisional voter turnout of 63.20 percent.
Election authorities citing data available for 5 pm said Dharmapuri LS segment witnessed the highest voter turnout of 67.52 percent, while South Chennai recorded the lowest of 57.04 percent.
The by-poll to Vilavancode Assembly Constituency in Kanyakumari district recorded a polling of 56.68 percent. The final data on polling recorded in the state from 7 am till 6 pm is expected to be updated by officials soon.
Manipur recorded a voter turnout of 67.46 percent till 5 pm.
The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 32 of the 60 Assembly segments in the state, recorded 71.01 percent turnout, while 15 of the 28 assembly segments of Outer Manipur that went to polls during the day registered a turnout of 61.12 percent.
In Outer Manipur, Chandel, which has Naga and Kuki voters, recorded the highest turnout at 85.54 percent.
Incidents of shooting and intimidation were reported from several places in the Inner Manipur seat, officials said.
A 65-year-old man was shot at by unidentified armed men at Moirangkampu Sajeb in Khurai constituency in Imphal East district, police said.
Gunmen intimidating voters and polling officials were reported from a few places.
Over 50 per cent voter turnout was recorded up to 5 pm on Friday in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, officials said.
According to the Election Commission, polling began at 7 am amid tight security and 50.27 percent voting took place till 5 pm, with one more hour of polling to go.
The highest voter turnout of 60.29 percent was recorded in Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 42.53 percent, it said. Jaipur had recorded a poll percentage of 56.57.
The voting percentage was 48.87 in Bikaner, 56.52 in Churu, 44.97 in Jhunjhunu, 48.85 in Sikar, 48.67 in Jaipur Rural, 53.31 in Alwar, 45.63 in Dausa, 45.48 in Bharatpur and 49.92 in Nagaur till 5 pm.
Manipur recorded a voter turnout of 67.46 percent till 5 pm amid incidents of shooting and intimidation, officials said.
The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 32 of the 60 Assembly segments in the state, recorded 71.01 percent turnout, while 15 of the 28 Assembly segments of Outer Manipur that went to polls during the day registered a turnout of 61.12 percent.
Wangkhem in Thoubal district recorded the highest turnout among the 32 Assembly constituencies under Inner Manipur at 82.41 percent.
In Outer Manipur, Chandel, which has both Naga and Kuki voters, recorded the highest turnout at 85.54 percent.
A voter turnout of 63.25 percent was recorded till 5 pm on Friday in six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, where elections were underway in the first phase, an official said.
In Balaghat, 71.08 percent voting was recorded, in Chhindwara 73.85 percent, Jabalpur 56.74 percent, Mandla 68.31 percent, Shahdol 59.91 percent and Sidhi 51.24 percent, the official said.
Voting in Baihar and Paraswada Assembly constituencies under the Balaghat Lok Sabha seat was held between 7 am and 4 pm for security reasons in view of the Naxal menace, he said, adding that a centre in the Dublai area of Baihar saw 100 percent voting as all 80 voters cast their votes.
Nearly 60 percent polling was reported till 5 pm in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, the Election Commission said.
Polling is underway in 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories.
While voting began at 7 am simultaneously in all constituencies it will end at 6 pm in most of the seats.
Earlier, the commission had said that 49.78 percent polling was recorded till 3 pm.
A total of 70.77 per cent of over 86.47 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha seats in Assam exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Friday, poll officials said.
The turnout is expected to increase as people in queue till 5 pm will be allowed to cast their votes.
Polling personnel in six eastern districts of Nagaland waited for nine hours in booths, but not one of the four lakh voters of the region turned up following a shutdown call given by Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation’s to press for its demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland Territory’.
Villagers opposing the Parandur airport project near Chennai boycotted the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu.
People of Vegaivayal in Pudukkottai district, too, gave the polls a go in protest against the non-arrest of perpetrators in the human faeces incident of 2022.
Villagers belonging to Ekanapuram and other nearby areas including Nagapattu under the Parandur panchayat, close to Sriperumbudur, who are opposed to the greenfield airport project abstained from voting.
People belonging to Vengaivayal and Eraiyur villages in Pudukkottai district, both Dalits and caste Hindus, boycotted the polls. In 2022, human faeces were found mixed in the overhead tank in the village and the matter is under investigation by police.
Many migrants from Assam got a chance to spend a few more days at home this year as they extended their annual leave for Bihu festivities to be able to cast their votes in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday.
Besides Lakhimpur and Jorhat, Sonitpur, Dibrugarh and Kaziranga constituencies went to the polls in the first phase in the state.
Elections will be held in five seats in the second phase on April 26, and four remaining constituencies in the third phase on May 7.
Amid reports of violence from a few districts in Arunachal Pradesh, over 53 percent of 8.92 lakh electors cast their votes till 3 pm on Friday in the northeastern state where polling for two Lok Sabha seats and 50 assembly constituencies is underway, officials said.
Supporters of two candidates clashed near a polling station in the Bameng constituency in East Kameng district, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa said, adding that the situation was brought under control and polling is continuing,
Incidents of EVM damage were also reported from three polling stations in East Kameng, Kurung Kumey and Upper Subansiri districts, the police officer said.
Polling in Chennai Central, one of the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the city, has been the lowest in the state which went to polls on Friday.
Voter turnout in this constituency was 24.09 percent at 11 am, 32.31 percent at 1 pm and 41.47 percent at 3 pm, Chief Electoral Satyabrata Sahoo said.
As per the status at 3 pm, the state had polled 51.41 percent, he told reporters here. Dharmapuri with 57.86 percent saw the highest turnout in the state at 3 pm followed by Namakkal at 57.67 and Kallakurichi at 57.34 percent.
Eight constituencies (out of 39 in the state) polled below 50 percent at 3pm. These included the three constituencies in the city - Chennai North, Chennai South and Chennai Central- which polled 44.84, 42.10 and 41.47 percent, respectively. The others are Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Sriperumbudur.
Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency registered a voter turnout of 68.11 per cent till 3 pm on Friday amid allegations of irregularities.
The opposition Congress and CPI(M) alleged that large-scale "rigging" happened in several places across the constituency, with the Election Commission saying that it received some complaints and was looking into those.
A voter turnout of 53.40 percent was recorded till 3 pm in six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, where elections are underway in the first phase on Friday, an official said.
The constituency-wise polling percentage is: Balaghat 63.69 percent, Chhindwara 62.57, Jabalpur 48.05, Mandla 58.28, Shahdol 48.64 and Sidhi 40.60, the official said.
A voter turnout of more than 58 percent was recorded till 3 pm on Friday in the Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh, which saw the death of a CRPF jawan after a grenade accidentally went off and injury to an officer in an IED blast, officials said.
Amid tight security, polling in the Bastar seat started at 7 am and 58.14 percent turnout was registered till 3 pm, an election official said.
A total of 60.70 per cent of over 86.47 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha seats in Assam exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Friday, poll officials said.
Jorhat recorded the highest turnout of 64.84 percent, followed by Sonitpur (60.29), Dibrugarh (60.83), Lakhimpur (59.53) and Kaziranga (58.33), they said.
More than 45 percent polling was recorded till 3 pm in the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttarakhand on Friday, officials here said.
The voting began at 7 am and the five constituencies recorded an overall poll percentage of 45.62 at 3 pm, the officials said.
The Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat recorded the highest voter turnout of 49.94 percent, followed by Haridwar (49.62 percent), Tehri Garhwal (44.05 percent), Pauri Garhwal (42.12 percent) and Almora (38.43 percent).
A 32-year-old CRPF jawan on poll duty in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district was killed after a shell of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) exploded accidentally, police said.
The jawan, Constable Devendra Kumar of CRPF's 196th battalion, was shifted to Jagdalpur, headquarters of Bastar district, in an air ambulance helicopter and admitted to the Medical College Hospital there.
But he succumbed to the injuries during treatment. His Kumar's last rites will be conducted in his native Dhobiguda village in Bastar district on Saturday.
Puducherry reported a voter turnout of 58.86 percent at 3 pm. Polling will end at 7 pm.
The Union Territory has 10,23,699 voters spread over Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam regions.
The two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya recorded a voter turnout of 61.94 percent till 3 pm on Friday, chief electoral officer BDR Tiwari said.
While the turnout for the Shillong parliamentary constituency was 61.18 percent, Tura recorded 63.23 voter percent, he said.
Polling was being held at 3,512 polling stations in the state in which 10 candidates are in the fray — six for the Shillong parliamentary seat and four for the Tura Lok Sabha seat.
The estimated voter turnout at 3 pm in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections was around 49.78 per cent, the Election Commission said.
A spokesperson of the poll panel said the figures were only approximate.
In a statement earlier in the day, the poll watchdog had described the voter turnout till 1 pm as "substantial".
Polling was progressing "smoothly and peacefully" across 21 states and union territories, it had said, PTI reported.
The estimated voter turnout at 3 pm in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday was around 49.78 percent, the Election Commission said.
A spokesperson of the poll panel said the figures were only approximate.
In a statement earlier in the day, the poll watchdog had described the voter turnout till 1 pm as "substantial". Polling was progressing "smoothly and peacefully" across 21 states and union territories, it had said.
More than 49 percent of total 8.56 lakh voters in Mizoram have exercised their franchise for the lone Lok Sabha seat till 3 pm on Friday, election officials said.
Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state is underway amid tight security arrangements, they said.
The state recorded 49.77 percent voting till 3 pm, according to an election official.
Officials said that polling will conclude at 5 pm.
Polling picked up momentum in Puducherry as the union territory gets set to elect their lone representative to the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Official sources said that the polling percentage shot up to 58.86 at 3 pm. Polling will end at 7 pm.
The Union Territory has 10,23,699 voters spread over Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions.
An average voter turnout of 47.44 percent was recorded in the first eight hours of polling on Friday in eight western Uttar Pradesh constituencies where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election.
According to the Election Commission (EC), till 3 pm, 53.31 percent voting was reported in Saharanpur, 46.28 percent in Moradabad, 48.92 percent in Kairana, 48.15 percent in Nagina, 49.06 percent in Pilibhit, 47.70 percent in Bijnor, 42.77 percent in Rampur and 45.18 percent in Muzaffarnagar.
Nearly 44.7 percent of the 95 lakh eligible voters have cast their ballots till 3 pm on Friday in the five Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra where polling is underway in the first phase of the general elections, an official said.
The voter turnout stood at 45.88 percent in Bhandara-Gondia till 3 pm, the official said. Chandrapur recorded a turnout of 43.48 percent, Gadchiroli-Chimur 55.79 percent, Nagpur 38.43 percent and Ramtek 40.10 percent till 3 pm, the official said.
The average turnout in the five seats was about 44.73 percent till 3 pm, he said.
Around 43.98 percent of the 57,784 voters in the lone Lok Sabha constituency in Lakshadweep have exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Friday, officials said.
Around 40.92 percent of the 75 lakh voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Friday, officials said.
The polling began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, a senior election official said. The voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates in these four seats.
Over 44.46 percent of voters have exercised their franchise in Jamui Lok Sabha constituency, 42.20 percent in Aurangabad, 39.55 percent in Gaya and 37.77 percent in Nawada till 3 pm, officials said.
Over 41 percent voter turnout was recorded in the first eight hours of polling on Friday in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, officials said.
According to the Election Commission, polling began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and 41.51 percent voting took place till 3 pm.
The highest voter turnout of 50.14 percent has been recorded in the Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 33.86 percent, it said. Jaipur so far recorded a poll percentage of 49.48.
In a first, seven members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTGs) of Great Nicobar Islands on Friday exercised their voting rights for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Andaman and Nicobar.
Besides voting at polling station 411 named Shompen Hut, the tribe members also they posed for selfies at a designated cut-out made by the Election Commission of India, which read – "I vote for sure".
Celebrating democracy in #Andaman_Nicobar 🎉 Witness the Andamanese tribes exercising their right to vote.
Remember, #GoVote because every vote matters!#ChunavKaParv #DeshKaGarv #ECI #GeneralElections2024 #LokSabhaElections #Elections2024 @AndamanCEO pic.twitter.com/AbFlLN0lzr
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) April 19, 2024
A voter turnout of 66.34 percent was recorded till 3 pm in the three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal where elections were underway in the first phase on Friday, officials said.
Polling started at 7 am in Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars seats, where a total of 56.26 lakh people are eligible to vote, they said.
"Till 3 pm, the voter turnout in Coochbehar was 65.54 percent, while that in Jalpaiguri was 67.28 percent, and in Alipurduars was 66.23 percent," an election official said.
An SUV carrying an electronic voting machine partially sank into a river after the water level rose suddenly washing away a mechanised boat that was ferrying the vehicle in Assam’s Lakhimpur constituency on Friday, officials said.
The driver and the polling officer of the vehicle managed to get out before water gushed into the vehicle, an official said.
It was on its way to the Amarpur area in Sadiya to replace an EVM after a technical glitch was detected in it as polling commenced in the morning, the official said.
A quick response team stationed at Sadiya dispatched the SUV with the EVM, accompanied by the driver and an official.
"Substantial" voter turnout was reported till 1 pm in many states and Union territories where voting is underway in phase one of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, the Election Commission said.
Polling was progressing "smoothly and peacefully" across 21 states and union territories, it said.
Visuals of voters standing in long queues waiting for their chance to vote were seen across polling stations as voting began simultaneously at 7 AM, the poll watchdog said.
Over 33 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first six hours of polling on Friday in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, officials said.
According to the Election Commission, polling began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and 33.73 per cent voting took place till 1 pm.
The highest voter turnout of 40.72 per cent was recorded in the Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 28.32 per cent, it said. Jaipur recorded a poll percentage of 39.35.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar dismissed apprehensions about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and assured people that their vote was safe and secure.
Kumar asserted that the EVMs were 100 percent safe as a large number of safeguards – technological, administrative, and process-oriented – were in place.
"It is a settled issue. It is 100 percent safe...Enjoy your voting, your vote is safe, secure and will be recorded as you vote," Kumar said.
A total of 150 complete Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) sets were replaced due to malfunctioning across the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam where voting is underway on Friday, officials said.
Besides, more than 400 components such as VVPATs and ballot units of different EVMs were also replaced because of snags.
Most of the glitches were noticed during the mock polling, which started 90 minutes before the commencement of the actual voting, and those machines were replaced accordingly, a senior official of the Election Department told PTI.
A voter turnout of 45.12 percent was recorded till 1 pm in the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam where elections are underway, officials said on Friday.
Jorhat recorded the highest turnout of 47.73 percent, followed by Sonitpur with 45.25 percent, Lakhimpur (44.33 percent) Kaziranga (44.32 percent) and Dibrugarh (44.02 percent).
The polling, which began at 7 am, will continue till 5 pm.
A voter turnout of more than 42 percent was recorded till 1 pm on Friday in the Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh, which saw a CRPF officer getting injured in an explosion of a pressure IED planted by Naxalites, officials said.
"Amid tight security, polling in the Bastar seat started at 7 am and is underway smoothly. At least 42.57 percent polling was registered till 1 pm," an election official said.
A voter turnout of 44.43 percent was recorded till 1 pm in six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where elections were underway in the first phase on Friday, an official said.
The constituency-wise polling per cent is Balaghat 52.83 percent, Chhindwara 49.68, Jabalpur 39.63, Mandla 49.68, Shahdol 40.82 and Sidhi 34.65, the official said.
The Naxal-hit Balaghat constituency recorded the highest vote cast percentage of 52.83 percent till 1 pm.
The state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan told PTI that polling was going on peacefully in all six constituencies.
Six districts of eastern Nagaland wore a deserted look on Friday as people stayed indoors following an indefinite shutdown call by the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO)., an apex body of the seven tribal organisations of the area, to press for its demand for a separate state.
The situation is peaceful. Sources said there was no voter turnout till 11 am. Polling comes to an end at 4 pm, PTI reported.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland Awa Loring said election officials are stationed in the 738 polling stations in the six districts of the region.
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
May 01, 2024
