Around 62.56 per cent polling was recorded across 15 states and union territories in the third and largest phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
After casting his ballot earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn up in large numbers and exercise their franchise.
Malfunctioning EVMs were reported from a number of seats in Kerala, Odisha, Karnataka and Bihar. Following this, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh slammed the Election Commission and alleged that EVMs were “malfunctioning or voting for the BJP” across the country.
Voting took place in all constituencies in Gujarat, Goa, and Kerala, with BJP president Amit Shah, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and several Union ministers among key candidates in the fray.
The ruling BJP is also facing a strong challenge in Uttar Pradesh, as the third phase is being contested in the crucial 'Yadav belt,' and Chhattisgarh, where the Congress won in the assembly elections in December last year.
In Kerala, the fight is primarily between the CPM-led Left Democratic Front, Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.