Around 40 % voting was recorded till 1330 hrs in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly constituencies of Orissa, which witnessed sporadic incidents of firing and arson by Naxals in Malkangiri and Sundargarh districts.

40% voting in Orissa, stray incidents of Maoist attacks

Press Trust of India

About 25 % of the electorate in Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district, including those from relief camps, exercised their franchise amidst tight security till noon today.

Riot victims come forward to vote in Kandhamal

Amidst violence let loose by Maoists, Jharkhand recorded only around 28.5% voting till 1:00 pm in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections today.

Polling in Jharkhand proceeds slowly amid Naxal attack

The Kandhamal district administration heaved a sigh of relief as the polls in three of its assembly segments- Baliguda, Phulabani and G Udayagiri was by and large peaceful. All these three constituencies are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Polling in Kandhamal peaceful

Business Standard

The number of cases registered after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections until April 14 had crossed the four figure mark in the Mysore parliamentary constituency. Of the 1,023 cases registered, 603 were from Mysore city, 171 from Mysore district and 249 from Kodagu district. These included 38 excise cases, Kodagu district topping with 25 cases, head of Model Code of Conduct Implementation Team B Ramu said.

Poll-related cases cross 1,000 in Mysore

The officials enforcing the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections have seized cash, liquor and goods worth Rs 14.35 crore till date and booked 1,227 cases, said state chief electoral officer M N Vidyashankar.

Bellary tops list of code violations

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, ranked a billionaire by Forbes magazine last year for his Indian stock holdings, is of the opinion that investors should avoid the markets after nationwide elections until a new government is formed.

'Avoid markets from end of polls to govt formation'

It is a tribute to the hunger for change in India that in the space of three weeks (four, by the time this is published), Meera Sanyal has gone from being a low-profile, well-considered senior banker to something of a rock star, judging from the way she is mobbed everywhere she goes.

Jamal Mecklai: Mumbai chi Meera

The first phase polling for the parliamentary and assembly seats in Orissa today witnessed 52.6 per cent voters turning out to cast their votes despite the warning issued by the Naxalites in many parts of southern and western Orissa to boycott the polls.

Orissa records 52.6% turnout in first phase

60% turnout in first phase, Naxals kill 18

Taking a cue from the recent shoe-throwing incidents, &ldquo;a BJP activist&rdquo; today reportedly hurled his slippers (some reports said he hurled &lsquo;khadaoon&rsquo; or wooden slippers) at his party chief and the prime ministerial candidate LK Advani when the latter was addressing a public meeting in Katni, about 100 km from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. The party has denied the culprit, identified as Paras Agrawal, is a BJP activist.

Now, slipper aimed at Advani

Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by his side, the Janata Dal (United) and its mascot &mdash; Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar &mdash; is eyeing the Muslim vote bank of the state. And he has made some inroads into this segment which, in the past, has shown unconditional loyalty to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

Nitish tries to woo Muslims away from Lalu

A general election in India&rsquo;s troubled neighbourhood usually warrants the dispatch of official election observers from the United Nations or European Union. But the poll process in the largest democracy of the world is an opportunity for first-hand learning.

Foreign diplomats hit the campaign trail

Dissidents are threatening to crash into the party NCP was planning to have in western Maharashtra, protesting against the &quot;use and throw&quot; policy of its chief Sharad Pawar.

Congress battle dissidents in Western Maharashtra

Six abducted polling officials, including two state police jawans, were today rescued from the clutches of naxals after an overnight encounter between CRPF and the guerrillas in Jharkhand's Latehar district.

Six abducted poll officials rescued after night-long gunbattle

Congress appears to have a slight edge over the BJP in key states but both parties are&nbsp;likely to fall short of a majority in the Lok Sabha elections which may lead to intense&nbsp;horse-trading before a new government assumes power, an American think tank has predicted.

Cong has slight edge over BJP: US think tank

Polling process for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory of Puducherry was set in motion today with the publication of notification for the May 13 elections.

Polling process begins in Puducherry LS seat

Giving in to the pressure from Jat strongman Sajjan Kumar,&nbsp;Congress today announced ticket for his brother Ramesh Kumar from the South Delhi&nbsp;constituency while DPCC president J P Aggarwal got the party nomination from North East&nbsp;Delhi seat.

Sajjan Kumar's brother is Cong nominees from S Delhi

Varun Gandhi, released on two-week parole, will campaign for BJP while not resorting to any hate-speech tactics, party&nbsp;chief Rajnath Singh has said. &nbsp;&quot;Yes, he will campaign,&quot; Singh told reporters late last&nbsp;night after Gandhi reached his mother's official residence here.

Varun will campaign for BJP: Rajnath

The Indo-Bhutan border will be sealed to stop entry of&nbsp;outsiders during the Lok Sabha elections in north Bengal.

Indo-Bhutan border to be sealed for Lok Sabha polls

Government defers NELP-VIII till elections
Details awaited 

NEWSALERT: Government defers NELP-VIII till elections

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Visit Business Standard for the latest updated information on the general election results 2024, including the candidate lists for the BJP and Congress, Lok Sabha Election Dates, Exit Polls, Opinion Polls, and Election Results.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Election Results News, PM Candidates, Narendra Modi | General Election

Visit Business Standard for the latest updated information on the general election results 2024, including the candidate lists for the BJP and Congress, Lok Sabha Election Dates, Exit Polls, Opinion Polls, and Election Results.

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