Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections was held for 102 seats spread across 21 states and Union Territories. The aggregate voter turnout till 9 pm was 62.37 per cent with the highest percentage in Tripura at 80.17 per cent.
Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections was held on Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories. Violence was reported in some parts of West Bengal and Manipur and the voter turnout fell from the figure in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The ruling Trinamool Congress alleged BJP supporters of creating chaos and thrashing their party workers in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district, and even threatening voters. Meanwhile, in Manipur, unknown miscreants fired near a polling station in Thamanpokpi and violence was also reported at Iroisemba polling station. Despite that, the voter turnout was among the highest in Manipur (68.62%) and Bengal (77.57%) when the polling concluded.
The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the Opposition is hoping to turn the tables under the INDIA bloc. All eyes are on Tamil Nadu, where voting is underway in all 39 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP is hoping for a better turnout in the southern state where PM Modi has campaigned extensively.
Here is all you need to know:
The overall voter turnout in 21 states and Union Territories was recorded at 62.37 per cent till 9 pm with the highest percentage in Tripura at 80.17 per cent. The figure fell from the first phase of polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when a voter turnout of 69.43 per cent was recorded.
Bihar recorded the lowest turnout at 48.5 per cent.
- Several prominent leaders and personalities have cast their votes, including Congress veteran P Chidambaram, his son and Sivaganga candidate Karti Chidambaram, legendary actor Rajinikanth, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo MK Stalin.
- Congress veteran P Chidambaram cast his vote from Chennai in Tamil Nadu, and exuded confidence in the INDIA bloc sweeping all 39 seats in the southern state. “This is the first phase of elections, there are seven phases…Today all of Tamil Nadu votes and I am absolutely confident that we will win all seats,” he told reporters.
- Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna cast their votes at a polling booth in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar.
- Tamil Nadu BJP president and party candidate from Coimbatore seat K Annamalai cast his vote at Uthupatti polling booth in Karur village. Annamalai said the time of Dravidian politics was over in the state and accused DMK and AIADMK of spending more than Rs 1,000 crore in Coimbatore to influence the voters.