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BSS-63
INDIA-POLLS
First phase of Lok Sabha polls ended peacefully: EC
By Aminul Islam Mirja
NEW DELHI, April 11, 2019 (BSS) – The first phase of India’s seven phases marathon 17th national election concluded almost peacefully today barring some stray incidents of violence in some places across Andhra, Arunachal and Uttar Pradesh leaving two persons dead.
Voters turn-out in polling centres were impressive with more than 60 percent till the last news came in at 5 pm as the polling began at 9 am and continued till 6 pm.
“Voting in the first phase held on Thursday concluded peacefully barring minor incidents of violence,” Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha told media at the end of the day’s polling.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the mood in the country can be guessed by the crowds in his rallies.
“There is a strong wave in favour of us,” he said while addressing an election rally in Silchar in southern Assam today.
Some 362 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were malfunctioning in Andra Pradesh prompting Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to write a letter to the Election Commission, requesting an extension of polling time in the state to compensate for the time lost due to the issue.
An improvised explosive device (IED) blast was reported in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district as voting was underway in the Maoist-affected district. No one was injured in the incident, reports said.
A similar blast was triggered by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency in the early hours this morning, reports added quoting officials. The blast was triggered around 4:15 am when a team of security men was escorting polling personnel to their booth, they said.
According to media reports, voter turnout in Andaman and Islands till 5 pm was all of 56 percent, Chhattisgarh’s Bastar – the single seat in the state that went to polls on Thursday – witnessed a voter turnout of 56 per cent till 5 pm.
Telangana, for which this Lok Sabha election was the first since its formation, witnessed a voter turnout of 60 percent.
The northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, where voting took place on two seats – Baramulla and Jammu – the voting percentage was 32.29 percent voting took place in Baramulla and 67.39 percent voter turnout in Jammu.
Andhra Pradesh witnessed a total voter turnout of 66 percent.
In the northeastern states, Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland, in which the elections were concluded in one phase, the voter turnout was, 69 percent, 60 percent and 78 percent, respectively.
In Manipur, the voter turnout was 78.2 percent with Tripura recording the highest polling at 81.8 percent. Assam recorded a voter turnout of 68 percent with West Bengal reporting a voter turnout of 81 percent.
In the first phase, election was held in 91 constituencies covering 18 states and two union territories.
Among those, 25 constituencies are in Andhra, two in Arunachal, five in Assam, four in Bihar, one in Chhattisgarh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, seven in Maharastra, two in Meghalaya, one each in Monipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Lakshadweep, four in Odisha, 17 in Telengana, Eight in Uttor Pradesh, five in Uttarakhand and two in West Bengal.
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