LS polls Highlights: Nearly 60% polling till 5 pm in phase one, says EC

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the news updates on the announcements related to Lok Sabha polls here

8:26 PM

LS polls: 60.03% aggregate voter turnout at 7 pm in phase one, says EC

60.03 per cent aggregate voter turnout at 7 pm in phase one of Lok Sabha polls: EC

 

7:41 PM

LS polls: 4 EVMs damaged by unidentified people at different Manipur booths

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.

7:14 PM

Congress urges EC to take note of BJP's 'blatant violation' of MCC

The Congress on Friday accused the ruling BJP of violating the Model Code of Conduct by using "one particular issue" on social media as an appeal to voters and urged the Election Commission (EC) to take immediate note of it and put a stop to such practices. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh urged the EC to take note of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "flagrant and blatant violation" of the Representation of the People Act, but did not mention the issue being highlighted by the ruling party on social media.

7:01 PM

LS Elections: West Bengal records 77.57% voter turnout till 5 pm

West Bengal is leading the voter turnout charts after it recorded a 77.57 voting percentage in the state till 5 pm as per the data released by the Election Commission of India. According to Election Commission data at 5 pm, Tripura recorded a 76.10 poll percentage. It was 63.92 per cent for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam (70.77 per cent), Chhattisgarh (63.41 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (65.08 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (63.25 per cent) Manipur (68.58 per cent), Meghalaya (69.91 per cent), Mizoram (52.91 per cent), Nagaland (55.97 per cent), Puducherry (72.84 per cent), Sikkim (68.06 per cent).

6:52 PM

LS polls: 63.41% turnout till 5 pm in Naxal-hit Bastar

A voter turnout of more than 63 per cent was recorded till 5 pm on Friday in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-affected Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, which saw the death of a CRPF constable after a grenade accidentally went off and injury to an officer in an IED blast, officials said. Polling in the Bastar seat started at 7 am and was held in different time slots amid tight security in the first phase of elections.

6:23 PM

Nearly 60% polling till 5 pm in phase one of Lok Sabha polls, says EC

Nearly 60 per cent polling till 5 pm in phase one of Lok Sabha polls: EC.

5:50 PM

Mayor of MP's Chhindwara backs Congress' Nakul Nath days after joining BJP

Vikram Ahake, the Chhindwara Mayor who recently joined the BJP made a U-turn on the day of polling in the high-profile Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh and urged people to vote for Congress' Nakul Nath. The Chhindwara mayor joined the BJP on April 1 in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the state party president Vishnu Dutt Sharma in the state capital.

5:37 PM

Tripura, Bengal lead in LS poll voter turnout at 3 pm; moderate polling in Bihar, Rajasthan

Parliamentary seats in northeastern states and West Bengal recorded high voter turnout till 3 pm in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on Friday with polling percentage also picking up in constituencies in some other states and union territories which went to the polls. Polling percentage was relatively less in Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand. Voting is being held in 102 seats in the first phase of Lok Sabha election.

5:01 PM

General Elections 2024: Around 60% turnout recorded in 5 seats in Assam till 3 pm

A total of 60.70 per cent of over 8.64 million voters in five Lok Sabha seats in Assam exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Friday, poll officials said. Jorhat registered the highest turnout of 64.84 per cent, followed by Sonitpur (60.29), Dibrugarh (60.83), Lakhimpur (59.53) and Kaziranga (58.33), they said.

4:55 PM

CRPF jawan on poll duty killed in accidental explosion of grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh

A 32-year-old jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed on Friday when a shell of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) exploded accidentally, police said. The jawan was deployed on poll duty in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. 

The incident took place near Galgam village when a team of security personnel was out on an area domination operation half a kilometer away from a polling booth, said an official.

4:51 PM

General Elections 2024: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi files nomination from Hyderabad

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and candidate from Hyderabad constituency, Asaduddin Owaisi files nomination for General Elections.

4:49 PM

Lok Sabha polls 2024 phase 1 updates: In a first, people of Andaman's vulnerable Shompen tribe cast vote

For the first time in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, seven members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTGs) of Great Nicobar Islands exercised their franchise for the lone Lok Sabha constituency in the union territory.

4:33 PM

Lok Sabha polls: Mizoram registers over 49 per cent polling till 3 pm

More than 49 per cent of total 856,000  voters in Mizoram have exercised their franchise for the lone Lok Sabha seat till 3 pm on Friday, election officials said. Mizoram recorded 49.77 per cent voting till 3 pm, according to an election official.

4:30 PM

Lok Sabha polls: Over 47.44% voter turnout registered in 8 LS seats of UP till 3 pm

An average voter turnout of 47.44 per cent was registered in the first eight hours of polling today in eight western Uttar Pradesh constituencies where voting is currently underway.  According to the Election Commission of India (EC), till 3 pm, 53.31 per cent voting was reported in Saharanpur, 46.28 per cent in Moradabad, 48.92 per cent in Kairana, 48.15 per cent in Nagina, 49.06 per cent in Pilibhit, 47.70 per cent in Bijnor, 42.77 per cent in Rampur and 45.18 per cent in Muzaffarnagar.

4:14 PM

Voters, polling agents facing hooliganism across the state, says Tripura Cong lawmaker

Tripura Congress lawmaker Sudip Roy Barman today stated that voters and polling agents were facing hooliganism across the state. Barman added that although the Election Commission had succeeded in stopping "large-scale false voting" like in previous years, rampant hooliganism at polling centers was not being curbed. 

4:10 PM

General Elections 2024 updates: Andaman and Nicobar Islands register 45.4 per cent polling till 3 pm

Around 45.48 per cent of the total 3,15,148 voters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Friday for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the union territory, an official said. "So far the voting is going on peacefully. There were some minor EVM glitches but it was addressed immediately. It did not hamper the poll process," Chief Electoral Officer B S Jaglan said. 

4:08 PM

Lok Sabha Phase 1 voter turnout: Tripura records 68.35% till 3 pm, Tamil Nadu at 51.1%

Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh voter turnout was recorded at 51.1 per cent and 47.4 per cent respectively. Tripura records 68.35% voter turnout till 3pm, the highest amongst the State/UTs voting in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls today.

3:58 PM

LS polls 2024: Tripura records 68.35% voter turnout till 3pm, highest amongst the states and UTs

3:49 PM

Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan files nomination from Vidisha

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP candidate from Vidisha, has filed nomination for the Lok Sabha poll 2024. Polling will be conducted in Madhya Pradesh on April 26, May 7 and 13.

3:46 PM

General Elections 2024 phase 1: Over 40% voter turnout recorded till 1 pm

The first phase will see 102 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats go to polls across 17 states and four Union Territories (UTs). A voter turnout of 53.04 per cent was registered till 1:00 pm in Tripura where polling were underway in the first phase on Friday, officials said. The average turnout across all the states where voting is taking place came in at 40 per cent. Read here for details.

3:29 PM

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Substantial turnout till 1 pm, says Election Commission of India

 "Substantial" voter turnout was reported till 1 pm in many states and Union territories where voting is underway in phase one of Lok Sabha elections today, the Election Commission said. Polling was progressing "smoothly and peacefully" across 21 states and union territories, it said.

3:10 PM

General Elections 2024: Voter turnout at 30.6% in 5 seats in Maharashtra till 1 pm

Nearly 30.6 per cent of the 9.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots till 1 pm today in the five Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra where polling is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, an official said.

2:58 PM

Lok Sabha polls 2024: 44.43 % voter turnout till 1 PM across six seats in Madhya Pradesh

A voter turnout of 44.43 per cent was registered till 1 pm in six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where elections were underway in the first phase. The constituency-wise polling per cent is Balaghat 52.83 per cent, Chhindwara 49.68, Jabalpur 39.63, Mandla 49.68, Shahdol 40.82 and Sidhi 34.65, the official said.

2:57 PM

General Elections 2024 LIVE: Nagaland records 43.53 per cent voters turnout till 1 pm

Around 43.53 per cent of the 1.32 million voters in Nagaland have exercised their franchise for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the seat till 1 pm on Friday, officials said.

The voting began at 7 am and will continue till 4 pm, they said.

2:39 PM

LS polls 2024: Violence reported in Manipur, 3 individuals injured

Violence was reported in Manipur during the first phase of voting, disrupting the election process. Three individuals were injured.

2:37 PM

LS polls 2024: BJP govt has worked for the benefit of people, says PM Modi

Speaking at a public gathering in Damoh, PM Narendra Modi said, "Aaj desh mein vo BJP sarkar hai jo na kisi se dabti hai aur na hi kisi ke saamne jhukti hain'. Our principle is nation first. India should get cheap oil, hence we took the decision in the interest of the country...Today, the condition of many countries in the world is very bad, many countries are going bankrupt..."

2:04 PM

Lok Sabha polling phase 1: Tripura records highest turnout at 53.04%, Lakshadweep lowest

1:50 PM

Former CMs of Tripura - Biplab Kumar Deb and Manik Sarkar cast their votes in Phase 1 of General Elections

Former Tripura Chief Minister and BJP's West Tripura Parliamentary constituency candidate Biplab Kumar Deb cast his vote at Udaipur English Medium Higher Secondary School in Gomati district and expressed confidence in his victory. Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar cast his vote at Agartala and asserted confidence in CPI(M)'s victory.

1:46 PM

Lok Sabha polls: Miscreants engage in proxy voting in Imphal East

Armed miscreants reportedly entered a polling booth in Khongman, Imphal East, and engaged in proxy voting, news agency PTI reported today.

1:43 PM

General Elections 2024: Union Minister and BJP candidate from Cooch Behar Nisith Pramanik casts vote

Union Minister and BJP candidate from Cooch Behar  seat Nisith Pramanik cast his vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls. TMC has fielded Jagdish Chandra Barma Basunia and Congress has fielded Piya Roy Chowdhury from Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat.