Lok Sabha polls 2024: EC records nearly 60 pc polling till 5 pm, WB tops turnout list

With voting drawing to a close, the Election Commission of India (ECI) reported an estimated voter turnout of nearly 60 per cent until 5.00 pm on the first day of polling under Phase 1 of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections covering 102 constituencies in 21 states and Union Territories. The highest voter turnout was recorded in West Bengal at 77.57 per cent, with Bihar recording the lowest at 46.32 per cent. 

Amidst allegations of irregularities and reports of EVMs (electronic voting machines) being vandalised in Manipur, the ECI said “polling is progressing smoothly and peacefully across all 21 States/UTs in Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha Elections”.

Complaints of violence, intimidation, and assault also poured in from various parts of West Bengal and some parts of Tripura.

Voting today covered all 39 LS seats in Tamil Nadu, all five in Uttarakhand, 12 in Rajasthan, five in Maharashtra, and all seats in six North-Eastern states and three Union Territories. Assembly elections were held simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

A CRPF officer was killed in an IED (improvised explosive device) blast in the Maoist-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh earlier today. Devendra Kumar (32), an assistant commandant of the CRPF, was posted near Chihka polling booth under Bhairamgarh police station.

There was tension in the Inner Manipur constituency amidst allegations of electoral irregularities. In at least two locations, Uripok in Imphal West and Thongju in Imphal East, EVMs were destroyed.

In a video, Congress candidate Bimol Akoijam was seen having an argument with police personnel on duty in Imphal East, alleging that Congress polling agents in Kyamgei Heibing Makhong High School were threatened.

According to data released by the Election Commission of India, the voter turnout in West Bengal until 1.00 pm was recorded at 50.96 per cent and in Tripura at 53.04 per cent. While it was 39.43 per cent in Tamil Nadu, 44.18 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and 45.68 per cent in Manipur. 

Two elderly voters in Salem died after arriving at the polling booth to cast their votes and a report has been sought on the matter, state chief electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo said.

A slew of political leaders and celebrities cast their votes across Tamil Nadu. Governor R.N. Ravi cast his vote at a polling booth in Chennai, while chief minister M.K. Stalin, former chief ministers O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and other political leaders also exercised their franchise.

Ravi and Stalin urged people to turn up enthusiastically and do their democratic duty. Stalin, his wife Durga Stalin, DMK leader Kanimozhi (contesting from Thoothukudi) and BJP leaders L. Murugan (Nilgiris candidate) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai) also voted in Chennai.

Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot cast his vote in Jaipur today. In an X post in Hindi, he wrote, "Performing my duty in this great festival of democracy, I have voted in Jaipur today. All of you are requested to discharge your responsibility as an aware voter of the country by voting. Strengthen our democracy by electing a strong government that is always committed and dedicated to protecting your rights."

Speaking to news agency PTI, he said, "I think people will judge the performance of the BJP in the last 10 years compared to (the Congress-led) UPA. I am confident that Congress and the INDIA alliance will get a majority of votes.”

The Election Commission has issued a notice to TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma seeking an explanation over statements he made during a live session on social media on Thursday evening, hours before the first phase of polling in Tripura. Debbarma was also asked to take down the post immediately.

The royal scion-turned-politician, whose TIPRA Motha is in an alliance with the ruling BJP in Tripura, reportedly asked voters to reach polling centres early on Friday morning and cast their votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Without naming any political party, Pradyot said there was 'one party' which could form a government at the Centre and people should realise that they could get their demands fulfilled by the government of India.

Sporadic incidents of violence marred the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in the three parliamentary constituencies in Bengal, as TMC and BJP workers clashed in various parts of violence-prone Cooch Behar constituency.

The TMC and BJP lodged 80 and 39 complaints respectively, related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents in the first few hours of polling, sources from both parties said. Most of the complaints were from Cooch Behar and Alipurduar constituencies.

"We have received a few complaints, but we have no reports of violence so far," a senior officer of the chief election commissioner (CEO) office said.

According to officials, Cooch Behar recorded 33.68 per cent, while Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri recorded 35.20 and 31.94 per cent polling respectively, by 11.00 am. "The average polling was around 33.56 per cent," an official said.

All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduar for STs. A total of 37 candidates, including Union minister Nisith Pramanik (Cooch Behar), are in the fray in the three constituencies.

The TMC alleged that BJP workers assaulted polling agents in the Sitalkuchi area of Cooch Behar, and voters were stopped from entering a few booths. The saffron camp denied the allegations and accused the TMC of intimidating voters.

Sitalkuchi, one of the most violence-prone areas of the state, witnessed widespread violence during the Assembly polls of 2021, leading to the death of four people in firing by Central forces.

Television footage showed that in the Mathabhanga area of the district, TMC and BJP workers clashed following allegations of voter intimidation, resulting in injuries on both sides.

In another part of Mathabhanga, TMC workers staged a protest following allegations that Central forces were assisting BJP workers to rig votes in some booths. The TMC block president from Bethguri, Anant Barman, was hospitalised after allegedly being beaten up by BJP workers.

"The BJP, along with Central forces, has unleashed a reign of terror to rig the elections. Our workers are being harassed and beaten," north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha said.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to a poll rally in Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh today, the Congress claimed that a "silent undercurrent" is brewing across the region against the "failures" of the Modi government on issues such as "neglect" of sugarcane farmers and examination paper leaks.

Targeting the Union government, Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh wrote in an X post: "Today's questions for the PM as he heads to UP: Why has the BJP neglected UP's sugarcane farmers? Rs 20,000 crores later, why is the Ganga still India's most polluted river? Is the Modi Sarkar doing anything to prevent paper leaks?

Read more here

An average voter turnout of 25.20 per cent was recorded in the first four hours of polling in eight Parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh.

Polling began at 7.00 am and according to the Election Commission, 29.84 per cent voting was reported in Saharanpur, 23.35 per cent in Moradabad, 25.89 per cent in Kairana, 26.89 per cent in Nagina, 26.94 per cent in Pilibhit, 25.50 per cent in Bijnor, 20.71 per cent in Rampur and 22.62 per cent in Muzaffarnagar until 11.00 am.

These seats fall in the Jat and sugarcane belt of the state.

Google has shown a sense of occasion by marking the start of the polling for Lok Sabha elections 2024 with a new doodle, showing the traditional ink mark on the index finger. Clicking on the Google Doodle will take the user to the Google search results for the 2024 general elections.

About 7.3 per cent of the over 95 lakh eligible voters cast their votes until 9.00 am in five seats of Maharashtra in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, an official said.

A total of 97 candidates, including Union minister Nitin Gadkari, are in the fray in Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) constituency, all located in the easternmost parts of the state.

Voter turnout stood at 7.22 per cent in Bhandara-Gondia, the official said. Chandrapur recorded a turnout of 7.44 per cent, Gadchiroli-Chimur 8.43 per cent, Nagpur 7.73 per cent and Ramtek 5.82 per cent until 9.00 am, the official said. The average turnout in the five seats was about 7.3 per cent, he said.

Polling in the 43 other Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in four more phases later this month and in May.

Around 12.6 per cent of over 15.44 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the two Lok Sabha seats in ethnic violence-affected Manipur until 9.00 am, officials said. Inner Manipur constituency recorded 13.82 per cent polling while the turnout in Outer Manipur was 11.57 pc in the first two hours of voting.

Meanwhile, stray incidents of unrest were reported from a few places, a police officer said. An altercation broke out between locals and unidentified miscreants in Thongju Assembly segment under Inner Manipur constituency.

Officials said the highest of 14.14 per cent was recorded in Ganganagar, followed by Alwar with 12.03 per cent. Dausa recorded the lowest turnout of 9.70 per cent.

Reports of stray violence have come in during the voting from West Bengal. While the state's principal opposition BJP alleged stone pelting by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Chandmari to intimidate voters, the ruling TMC alleged that BJP workers threatened voters in Begarkata. By 10.00 am, both TMC and BJP had lodged dozens of complaints each with the Election Commission, mostly about violence in the Cooch Behar constituency of north Bengal.

Among prominent early voters were Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma, who cast his vote at Walbakgre polling station in Tura Lok Sabha constituency, Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, who cast his ballot in Nagpur, Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who exercised his franchise in Bikaner and Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at Nagra Terai polling station in Khatima.

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu and Union minister Kiren Rijiju also cast their votes at their native villages as polling for two Lok Sabha seats and 50 Assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh got underway.

Sangma, who drove himself to the polling station, said, "I reached the booth at 6.30 hoping to vote first. But I was pleasantly surprised that there were many people before me. It is a healthy trend. Voting is a right of every citizen."

Over 15 per cent of 56.26 lakh voters in three Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal exercised their franchise as of 9.00 am on Friday, an Election Commission official said in state capital Kolkata.

In the first phase of elections, voting is underway in Cooch Behar, Alipurduars and Jalpaiguri seats. "Till 9 am, voter turnout in Coochbehar was 15.26 per cent while that in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri were 15.91 per cent and 14.13 per cent respectively," the official said.

All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduar for STs. A total of 37 candidates, including Union minister Nisith Pramanik (Cooch Behar), are in the fray in the three constituencies.

A voter turnout of 11.15 per cent was recorded during the first two hours in the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam, officials said. Among those casting their votes were Union minister Sarbananada Sonowal and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi.

Sonitpur recorded a turnout of 12.69 per cent, followed by 12.27 per cent in Jorhat, 10.97 per cent in Lakhimpur, 10.34 per cent in Kaziranga, and 9.62 per cent in Dibrugarh.

A total of 86,47,869 voters will decide the fate of 35 candidates in these five seats.

"My dear citizens, from 21 States and UTs who are voting in the First Phase of the Lok Sabha elections, I request you to carefully cast your vote. A future where NYAY (justice) awaits you. A new era of Economic Empowerment and Equal Opportunities beckons you," the Congress chief said.

"Today is the first phase of voting! Remember, each and every vote of yours is going to decide the future of India's democracy and its generations," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

"Go out and strengthen democracy by applying the balm of your vote on the wounds inflicted on the soul of the country in the last 10 years," he said.

Open 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' in every corner of the country by defeating hatred, the Congress leader added.

A total of 37 candidates are in the fray in the three constituencies in the northern part of the state.

“Voting is our responsibility and right as well. We kind of chart out the future of our country for the next five years. Hence, today, the first thing I did was to vote,” Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh chief said.

The fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations.

Voting for two parliamentary seats in Meghalaya began at 7 am on Friday under stringent security measures, Chief Electoral Officer BDR Tiwari said.

The first five voters were rewarded with mementoes and first-time voters were also felicitated, encouraging them to exercise their franchise, he said.

As for Nagaland, over 13.25 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the electoral fate of three candidates in the fray.

Over 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates in four constituencies.

Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as "sensitive"

After weeks of vigorous campaigning, marking the beginning of the seven-phase electoral process, voting for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls commenced today. With 102 parliamentary constituencies spread across 21 states and Union territories going to the polls in the first phase, the electoral fervour is palpable.

Polling commenced at 7.00 am and will continue until 6.00 pm. The counting of votes is slated for 4 June, after all seven phases are completed.

In this, the largest phase of polling, the entirety of 11 states and Union territories are voting. Significant among these are the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, the entirety of Uttarakhand's 5 seats and all the constituencies of the six north-eastern states plus three UTs. Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are also polling for 92 Assembly seats concurrently.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged a record-breaking 303 seats out of 542, while the leading opposition party, the Indian National Congress, managed to clinch only 52 seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as the first non-Congress prime minister to secure re-election with a full majority, with the BJP experiencing a notable surge in its national vote share, rising from 31 per cent in 2014 to approximately 37.5 per cent, aided by significant gains in new territories.

What will 2024 bring?