Election LIVE | First phase records 62% voter turnout; violence, EVM glitches affect voting
37 pc turnout recorded in 8 LS seats in Uttar Pradesh till 1 pm
An average voter turnout of 37 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Friday in eight parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election.
Polling began at 7 am and according to the Election Commission, till 1 pm, 42.32 per cent voting was reported in Saharanpur, 35.25 per cent in Moradabad, 37.92 per cent in Kairana, 38.28 per cent in Nagina, 38.51 per cent in Pilibhit, 36.08 per cent in Bijnor, 32.86 per cent in Rampur and 34.51 per cent in Muzaffarnagar.
The eight constituencies recorded an overall poll percentage of 36.96 up to 1 pm.
These seats fall in the Jat and sugarcane belt of the state.
37 per cent polling in Uttarakhand by 1 pm
Over 37 per cent polling was recorded till 1 pm in the Lok Sabha election being held for five parliamentary constituencies in Uttarakhand on Friday, poll officials said.
Fifty-five candidates are in the fray and there are more than 83 lakh eligible voters in total.
Polling began at 7 am and the five constituencies recorded an overall poll percentage of 37.33 up to 1 pm, election officials said.
The Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat recorded the highest turnout of 40.46 per cent, followed by Haridwar with 39.41 per cent, Pauri Garhwal with 36.60 per cent, Tehri Garhwal with 35.29 per cent and Almora with 32.29 per cent.
Bihar records over 31 per cent polling in 4 LS seats till 1 pm
Around 31.47 per cent of the 75 lakh voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 1 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.
Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as "sensitive".
Over 34.25 per cent voters have exercised their franchise in Jamui Lok Sabha constituency, 33.99 per cent in Aurangabad, 30.40 per cent in Gaya and 27.24 per cent in Nawada till 1 pm, officials said.
Over 50 pc votes cast till 1 pm in West Bengal's 3 Lok Sabha seats
A voter turnout of 50.96 per cent was recorded till 1 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 1 pm, the voter turnout in Coochbehar was 50.69 per cent, while that in Jalpaiguri was 50.65 per cent, and in Alipurduars was 51.58 per cent," an election official said.
All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduars for STs.
A total of 37 candidates are in the fray in the three constituencies where voting will continue till 6 pm.
Tripura CEO serves notice to Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Debbarma for violating MCC
The Tripura Chief Electoral Officer on Friday served a notice to Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making a statement during 'silence period' through a social media post.
On Thursday, Pradyot Debbarma made an appeal through live Facebook to a particular community to vote for a particular party.
"You have delivered a statement in a live Facebook post last evening violating the provision of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) under the Representatives of People Act. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from the public forum by their leaders and in that sense, the statement made by them affect the campaign discourse", Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Puneet Agarwal, wrote to the Tipra Motha chief.
"In the light of the provisions of the MCC and relevant electoral laws, the matter is prima facie found to violate the electoral laws. It is clear from your said message that your appeal is to a particular community to vote in favour of a particular party", the CEO said.
Firing at polling booth in Manipur
Shooting by armed miscreants at a polling station in Thamanpokpi under Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat. No casualties have been reported yet. Official police confirmation awaited.