Election LIVE | First phase records 62% voter turnout; violence, EVM glitches affect voting

BJP 'biggest liar' in universe: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday called the BJP the "biggest liar in the universe" while addressing an election rally in western Uttar Pradesh.

The identity that the BJP has created for itself here in the last 10 years is that of "loot and lies", Yadav said.

"Perhaps no political party has uttered as many lies as the BJP. In the whole universe, it is the BJP which is the biggest liar," the SP president said.

Yadav also claimed that the BJP would be "eliminated" from the region in the first phase of polls, voting for which was underway on Friday.

"It feels like this time the wind from the west is going to eliminate the BJP completely. And it looks like the BJP'S first show has flopped," Yadav said, referring to the first phase of polls in eight constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh.

"Not only that, the public also does not want to listen to their often repeated dialogues. The story they were concocting till now, nobody wants to listen to that too," he claimed.

The SP president was addressing the rally, held in the Sikandrabad area of Bulandshahr district, in support of Gautam Buddh Nagar candidate Mahendra Singh Nagar. The Sikandrabad and Khurja areas of Bulandshahr come under the Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency.

Seeking support for Nagar, he talked about his qualification as a doctor, who is taking on BJP's Mahesh Sharma, who is also a doctor.

"This time a doctor is competing with a doctor. Some people told me that you are losing in this region because you could not field a doctor to take on the doctor. I want to thank all party workers who have prepared a doctor (for elections) who can even cure the coming generations. Hence, a doctor for a doctor," Yadav said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar goes to polls on April 26 in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. 

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections concludes in Muzaffarnagar. pic.twitter.com/T7zxd7pOU0

— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2024

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: EVMs being dispatched to the strong room after polling in Pilibhit concludes. #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/Vda26BX5Tz

— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2024

4 EVMs damaged by unidentified people in Manipur

At least four Electronic Voting Machines were damaged at different polling booths in conflict-hit Manipur on Friday where polling was held in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, according to sources.

"EVMs have been damaged at four places in Imphal East and West. At one of the polling booths, an EVM was set ablaze by unidentified miscreants," a source said.

Under the shadow of a long-drawn ethnic conflict, Manipur was set to go to polls on Friday for the two constituencies--Inner and Outer Manipur. Polling is also scheduled in some areas of the Outer Manipur constituency in phase 2 on April 26.

According to the sources, incidents of intimidation and firing were reported from several places in the Inner Manipur constituency where voting for the Lok Sabha polls took place on Friday.

Lone voter casts vote in remote Arunachal district

The unique Malogam polling station in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh recorded cent per cent 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.

According to the election official, very few families reside in Malogam, and all the others except for Tayang are registered voters in other polling booths. But she was not willing to go to other booths to cast her vote.

"It is not always about numbers but it is to ensure that every citizen gets his or her voice heard. Sokela Tayang's vote is a testament to our commitment to inclusivity and equality," said Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain.

The village falls under the Hayuliang assembly constituency in Anjaw district bordering China and in the Arunachal East Lok Sabha seat where as many as six candidates are vying for their electoral luck.

The main contest, however, is between Bosiram Siram of the Congress party and sitting MP Tapir Gao of the BJP. Dasanglu Pul, the BJP MLA from the Hayuliang assembly constituency retained the seat this time by winning it unopposed.

In the last elections in 2019, Gao won the seat -- one of the two constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh --garnering over 1.5 lakh votes. He defeated Lowangcha Wanglat of the Congress party who got 83,935 votes.

In the 2014 elections, the polling booth at Malogam had two voters. The other was Tayang's estranged husband Janelum Tayang, who, however, transferred his name to another booth in the constituency.

Tayang doesn't live in the village and her connection to Malogam is tenuous as her daughter and son study in colleges elsewhere.Of the total 2,226 polling stations in the state, 228 can be reached only by foot.

Of these, 61 will require a two-day walk, while seven others would need three-day trekking.Counting of votes for assembly polls would be held on June 2, while votes polled for Lok Sabha would be counted on June 4. 

Over 50% polling recorded in 12 LS seats in Rajasthan till 5 pm

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 per cent voting took place till 5 pm, with one more hour of polling to go.

As many as 114 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of polling in the state.

The highest voter turnout of 60.29 per cent was recorded in Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 42.53 per cent, 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.

Restive Manipur records 67.46% turnout till 5 pm

Manipur recorded a voter turnout of 67.46 per cent 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 per cent turnout, while 15 of the 28 assembly segments of Outer Manipur that went to polls during the day registered a turnout of 61.12 per cent.

Wangkhem in Thoubal district recorded the highest turnout among the 32 assembly constituencies under Inner Manipur at 82.41 per cent.

In Outer Manipur, Chandel, which has both Naga and Kuki voters, recorded the highest turnout at 85.54 per cent.

Incidents of shooting and intimidation were reported from several places in 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.

The man was standing near a polling station when the armed assailants opened fire, they said, adding he has been taken to a hospital in Imphal for treatment.

Armed men also fired several rounds in the air near a polling booth in Thamnapokpi under Moirang assembly constituency in Bishnupur district, prompting voters to flee, police said, adding additional security personnel were rushed to the spot to contain the situation.

Unidentified armed men also intimidated election agents of a particular political party at different places and asked them to leave the polling stations, they said.

At Uripok and Iroishemba in Imphal West district, armed men asked agents of a party to leave the premises of polling stations, an official said.

"Incensed with the intimidation, voters at Iroishemba forcefully entered polling stations and destroyed elections materials and equipment," the official said.

At Kiyamgei in Imphal East district's Keirao constituency, armed men fired blank shots and intimidated Congress polling agents.

Earlier in the morning, at Khongman Zone 4 in Imphal East district, an altercation broke out between voters and unidentified men leading to damage of EVMs.

63.25% voting recorded across 6 seats in MP till 5 pm

A voter turnout of 63.25 per cent 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 per cent voting was recorded, in Chhindwara 73.85 per cent, Jabalpur 56.74 per cent, Mandla 68.31 per cent, Shahdol 59.91 per cent and Sidhi 51.24 per cent, 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 per cent voting as all 80 voters cast their votes.

Zero voter turnout in 6 Nagaland districts amid shutdown call

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 an organisation to press for its demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland Territory’ (FNT).

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday affirmed that the state government does not have any problem with the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation’s (ENPO) demand for FNT as it has already recommended autonomous powers for the region.

The ENPO is the apex body of the seven tribal organisations of the eastern region.

Voting concludes in Imphal East