Polling in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections started on a sluggish note as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal recorded multiple EVM snags across the state.
Voters across eleven states and one Union territory exercised their electoral franchise today to elect representatives to 95 Lok Sabha seats. This was the first time that the Dravidian parties AIADMK and DMK are going to the polls without their stalwarts Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi.
Further EVM glitches and party scuffle marred polling in Bengaluru while West Bengal witnessed several bouts of violence across the seats including the death of a BJP worker. In Odisha, a woman died after casting her vote and in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, an on-duty officer also perished due to heart attack.
Amidst missing voter slips in Tamil Nadu, three elderly citizens died and one AIADMK worker was hacked to death in broad daylight. The votes for the election, being held over seven phases, will be counted on May 23.
In case of any last-minute election-related queries, you can dial the toll-free number 1950.
Voter turnout till 11 AM in Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar and Udhampur parliamentary constituency is 17.8 per cent.
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi files her nomination from Sultanpur Lok Sabha constituency.
Body of Sishupal Sahish (28) was found hanging from a tree near his house at Senabona village in West Bengal's Purulia district this morning. This is the third such incident in a year. Earlier two BJP supporters were found dead in the same district.
Chennai voters complain that no one visited their homes to give the slip. Hence, people are now queuing outside polling stations to get their booth slips. (CLICK HERE TO READ)
An emotional 65-year-old voter from Beerwah said, he is voting for development and safeguarding the Articles 370 and 35A. When asked if BJP returns to power in centre, Pathan said, "I should die instead of seeing BJP come to power again".
Voter turnout till 11 AM in Bihar stands at 18.97 per cent.
Raiganj CPI(M]) candidate Mohammed Salim's car attacked, pelted with stones in Islampur.
The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse angry voters who blocked a highway in Darjeeling. The Darjeeling constituency is currently held by BJP's SS Ahluwalia.
Election Commission Flying Squad has seized Rs 11.85 lakh unaccounted cash in Sion area. (ANI)
A polling station (27D) in Nasrullahpora in Budgam came under attack from stone pelters this morning. A polling staff official said the stone pelting continued for about an hour. A contingent of BSF and policemen is deployed in the polling station and maintaining tight vigil. Of the 321 voters entitled to cast vote in the polling station, only one vote was cast till 9.20 am.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi urged voters to "vote for Nyay". Gandhi also appealed to voters to vote for justice to the unemployed youth, struggling farmers, small businessmen and those who were persecuted due to their religion or caste.
Dynasty politics isn't an important issue now,country's problems are the main issue.Only because of dynasty politics®ional politics,this country developed in several states.We're not bothered abt criticism from BJP: HD Kumaraswamy
A 95-year-old man reportedly died while waiting in queue to cast vote at Kansamari booth in Ganjam.
In Beed voting began after 8.43 am due to snag in EVM at Mohkhed and in Nanded 78 EVMs have been replaced since morning.
Prominent contestants in this phase include former prime minister H D Deve Gowda (Tumkur), his grandsons Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Hassan and Mandya respectively, as also Union minister Sadananda Gowda (Bangalore North), and senior Congress leaders Veerappa Moily (Chikkaballapura) and K H Muniyappa (Kolar).
A polling official deputed at polling booth number 186 in Kanker dies of heart attack during election duty. (ANI)
Polling is currently underway in three central Kashmir districts Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal. NC president Farooq Abdullah is seeking re-election from Srinagar LS seat.
Assam (5 seats)-9.51%,J&K (2 seats)-0.99%,Karnataka (14 seats)1.14%, Maha(10)-0.85%,Manipur(1)-1.78%,Odisha(5)-2.15%, TN(38)-0.81%, Tripura(1)-0.00%, UP(8)-3.99%, WB(3)-0.55%, Chhattisgarh(3)-7.75% & Puducherry-1.62%.
Surendra Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha has recommended re-polling in booth 213 in Sundergarh, booth 129 in Bonai, and booths 210 & 222 in Daspalla assembly constituency due to technical problems in EVM machines and VVPATs. (ANI)
A woman in Assam died at a polling station in Mangaldoi constituency. The deceased, identified as Bharati Kakati collapsed soon after casting her vote.
CRPF personnel opened blank fire and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse a crowd that allegedly tried to barge into Kyamgei Muslim Makha Leikai polling station of Inner Manipur seat.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded nearly 30 per cent polling till 1 pm in Udhampur and Srinagar Lok Sabha constituencies Thursday, poll officials said.
Tension prevailed in Shantinagar when some names of voters were found missing from the electoral roll.Meanwhile, a fight broke out between BJP and Congress workers in Vijinapura near K R Puram in Bengaluru North Constituency.
The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu Thursday alleged violation of the model code of conduct by DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran, the candidate from Central Chennai Lok Sabha constituency, saying he sought votes on polling day.
Voter turnout till 1 PM in Maharashtra is 35.4 per cent
Farooq Ahmad Dar, who was used as a human shield, tied on to the bonnet of army vehicle and paraded in over dozen villages on April 2017 Srinagar bypolls, has not cast his vote in this parliament election till 12.30 pm. According to poll official of Polling Station No 107 in Chill village, the native village of Farooq Dar, the human shield victim had not voted.
He said, although his name figures in the voters list but he has not turned up to exercise his right to franchise. The poling station had witnessed moderate polling with 133 out of total 890 voters execising their right to franchise till 12.30 pm. In 2107 bypolls to Srinagar LS seat, Dar was intercepted by army men in Beerwah village after he had cast vote.
(Inputs from Fayaz Wani)
Though family members are yet to a formal complaint with police, they said that Sishupal Sahish was murdered by Trinamool Congress cadres.
She said the people had washed out the the dirt and that good days are here for the people of Mandya. Talking about her experience voting, she said that even she took five minutes to trace her number on the EVM. " I am confident that people of Mandya are mature and they will definitely cast their vote to elect their leader."
Sumalatha said that there has been an overwhelming response in every village she visited from the morning as she appealed to all the voters to participate in the festival of democracy to build a strong Nation and to elect a strong leader.
She expressed satisfaction over preparations made by the district officers to conduct a free and fair election however there were few cases of people taking law and order into their hands and targeting her supporters, she said.
When asked about the issues of EVM and complaints of second EVM being faulty, she said that JD S has tried every way to do their mischief. "there may be the possibility of a few tampering incidents, I will take it up with the ECI."
Sumalatha recieved good response when she reached the booth and she stood in line with other women to vote. She also offered puja at Kannada Basaveshwara Temple before voting.
She paid a visit to the Chamundeshwari temple in Mysore earlier in the day where she appealed to the people of Mandya to vote for self respect.