LIVE | West Bengal leads with 73% voter turnout; Maharashtra at bottom with 49%
#WATCH | Giridih: Kalpana Soren, wife of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren & JMM candidate for Gandey assembly by-election, says, "...I would like to appeal to voters in Gandey, Koderma and Hazaribagh to step out and vote. Celebrate this festival with joy and enthusiasm...People… pic.twitter.com/EavXWPiIJp— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2024
Your one vote will protect democracy, Constitution: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged people to cast their ballots, stressing that their vote will liberate the country from inflation, unemployment and economic crisis.
Voting is being held in 49 constituencies in six states and two union territories in the fifth phase, which will decide the electoral fate of several prominent leaders like former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka said, "With your one vote, ₹1 lakh will come into the account of a woman from every poor family annually, every citizen will get the facility of free treatment worth ₹25 lakh, the youth will get 30 lakh government jobs, the youth will get apprenticeship worth (₹) 1 lakh annually, and SC/ST/OBC will get proper participation." "Your one vote will protect democracy and the Constitution of the country," the Congress general secretary said.
She appealed to the people of the country to vote in maximum numbers.
"Your one vote will free the country from inflation, unemployment and economic crisis and will strengthen the country," Priyanka said.
Mumbaikars queue up early at polling booths; Piyush Goyal, Anil Ambani, Akshay Kumar cast vote
Polling booths in many parts of Mumbai on Monday saw a good turnout, with prominent persons including Union minister Piyush Goyal, industrialist Anil Ambani and actor Akshay Kumar exercising their franchise in the early hours of voting.
The early voters also included Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, former Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik, actor Janhvi Kapoor, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and Marathi theatre actor Prashant Damle.
Voters queued up in large numbers at the polling booths before 7 am to exercise their franchise for elections to the Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai.
Piyush Goyal, the BJP nominee from Mumbai North seat, said the people of Mumbai are voting for a better future of the country.
The BJP leader said he got lot of affection during campaigning as a Mumbaikar.
BJP candidate in Mumbai North Central seat Ujjwal Nikam appealed to voters to cast their vote diligently.
City Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad, who is contesting from Mumbai North Central seat, sported a band on her forearm with words "Main Samvidhan Rakshak" written on it and carried a copy of the Constitution to the polling booth.
A voter in Vile Parle said, "I decided to vote early to avoid the heat." "I wanted to vote and then leave for work," another elector said.
A voter in Bhandup claimed the enthusiasm among electors shows they want a change.
Actor Akshay Kumar exercised his franchise for the first time after his return to Indian citizenship.
Ram Naik and Mumbai North West seat Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar voted at the same polling station here.
Mumbai South seat Shiv Sena candidate Yamini Jadhav told reporters after voting that she has campaigned well over various issues.
"We are the real Shiv Sena," she added.
Shiv Sena's candidate from Mumbai North West seat Ravindra Waikar, Shiv Sena's Mumbai South Central seat nominee Rahul Shewale and his Shiv Sena (UBT) rival Anil Desai also cast their votes early in the morning.
Waikar told reporters he is known for his hard work and people know that if he is elected, Narendra Modi will be the prime minister again.
BJP's Mumbai North East seat nominee Mihir Kotecha and Shiv Sena (UBT) Mumbai South seat candidate Arvind Sawant were also among the early voters.
EC removes BSF personnel from election duty after 'molestation' complaint
The Election Commission on Monday removed a BSF personnel from poll duty in Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency following a complaint of molestation against him, an official said.
A woman lodged the molestation complaint at Uluberia Police Station on Sunday evening, he said.
“We have removed him from election duty. We are waiting for the police report. If found guilty, necessary action will be taken as per law,” the poll panel official told PTI.
Voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls commenced across seven parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal amid tight security on Monday.
The Election Commission has designated over 57 per cent of the polling stations as sensitive, and deployed over 60,000 personnel of central forces, in addition to around 30,000 policemen.
The number of security forces deployed for this phase surpasses that of any of the earlier four phases in the state, the official added.
#WATCH | Jammu and Kashmir: JKNC's vice president Omar Abdullah says "I hope that people will use their votes. The biggest power in a democracy is the people's voice, people's votes. I appeal to the people of Baramulla to come out and cast their votes...I have always been saying… pic.twitter.com/pQ16fEpNBQ— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2024
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Independent candidate from Nashik, Shantigiri Maharaj puts garland over the voting machine after casting his vote at a polling booth in the constituency.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/a4g95wUodZ— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2024
#WATCH | Odisha: Hockey India president and BJD candidate from Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat, Dilip Tirkey says, "I appeal to the people of Sundergarh to come out and cast their vote. It is a festival of democracy and they should participate in it... Seeing the enthusiasm among the… https://t.co/r2iimqUY9p pic.twitter.com/RRnRLnAECZ— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2024
Vote for love not hate: Mallikarjun Kharge
As polling began in 49 constituencies for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday urged people to vote for love and not hatred and cast their ballot against unemployment and inflation.
Voting is being held in 49 constituencies in six states and two union territories in the fifth phase, which will decide the electoral fate of several prominent leaders like former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "If we want to protect democracy and the Constitution, we must vote. Before pressing the button on EVM, remember that we should vote for love and brotherhood, not for hatred." "We have to vote against unemployment and inflation, not to make a few capitalists richer. We have to vote for the protection of our fundamental rights, not for those who snatch our rights," the Congress president said.
He urged the people to vote for justice, not for injustice and oppression.
"Vote for democracy, not for dictatorship. The voters of the eight states and union territories who will exercise their right to vote today on 49 Lok Sabha seats will vote on the agenda of Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay.
"When your hand presses the EVM button, the already-unstable chair of dictatorship will suffer another setback and democracy will gain strength," Kharge said.
He also welcomed those voting for the first time, asserting that theirs is a historical responsibility.
"The trends of the four phases show that the departure of 'Hukmshah' is certain. Today is the fifth step towards farewell," the Congress president said.
A new beginning will be made from June 4, he said.