Elections 2014: Delhi records 64 per cent voting

IndiaToday.in  New Delhi, April 10, 2014 | UPDATED 19:58 IST

 

Priyanka Gandhi with husband Robert Vadra after casting vote in Delhi.

64 per cent turnout in Delhi till 6 pm

An impressive 64 per cent turnout was recorded in Lok Sabha polls for the seven seats in the coluntry's capital where Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking victory riding on 'Modi wave' and Aam Aadmi Party and Congress posing a challenge by promising good governance and development.

 Delhi Election Commission officials said around 64 per cent of 1.27 crore eligible voters exercised their franchise till 6 pm and the polling percentage may go up as thousands of people are still queuing up in various areas of the city even after the deadline for voting ended.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the overall voting percentage was recorded at 52.3 per cent, which had increased to 66 per cent in the 2013 Delhi assembly election in December last year.

The high-octane campaign for the polls saw BJP, AAP and Congress engaging in a close fight to win the seven seats -- considered prestigious due to political symbolism.

The prominent contenders in the fray include Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath, Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan, Congress' Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dikshit, Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, journalist-turned- politician Ashutosh and BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal were among the early voters.

The election results is likely to set the stage for possible assembly polls in the next few months. BJP may prefer going to assembly polls early if it puts up a good show in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Lok Sabha poll mandate will also reflect AAP's support base in Delhi amidst perceived disillusionment among middle-class voters who had helped the party to make a spectacular debut in assembly polls just five months ago.

Congress has also tried to regain its support base through a series of initiatives in the last four months following its crushing defeat in the assembly polls in which it got just 8 seats.

Around 50 per cent cast vote in west UP

Brisk polling was today witnessed in politically sensitive Western Uttar Pradesh as 50.97 per cent voters cast their votes till 3 pm.

According to EC sources, Saharanpur witnessed 56.40 per cent polling in the first four hours, while 56.68 per cent voting was reported from Kairana, and 54.98 electorates exercised there franchise in Muzaffarnagar till 3 pm.

Similarly, Bijnore had 54.92 per cent polling, Meerut 54.40 per cent, Baghpat 49.84 per cent, Ghaziabad 48.34 per cent, Gautam Buddha Nagar 46.20 per cent, Bulandshahr 42.20 per cent and Aligarh 45.72 per cent.

In these 10 constituencies spread in 11 districts, the vote percentage in 2009 polls was 51.30 per cent while in 2012 assembly polls the percentage was 61.78 per cent.

The electoral fortunes of 146 candidates will be sealed in the EVMs today in the 10 Lok Sabha seats, where a total of 1.74 crore voters -- 95.96 lakh men and 78.37 lakh women -- are eligible to exercise their franchise.

PTI

About five mn people vote in Madhya Pradesh

About five million people voted in nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh Thursday in largely peaceful polling, an official said.

An Election Commission official said the state recorded a voter turnout of 46.55 percent by 4.30 p.m.

The nine parliamentary seats have an electorate of 11 million.

Chhindwara constituency saw a voter turnout of 56.84 percent and Shahdol too saw a healthy turnout.

However, in Sidhi, only 37.86 percent voters turned up to cast their vote.

Reports reaching here said that as many as 18 EVMs malfunctioned and five villages boycotted the election over different issues.

A total of 118 candidates are in the fray in the nine constituencies -- Chhindwara, Satna, Rewa, Balaghat, Sidhi, Shahdol, Mandla, Jabalpur, and Hoshangabad.

Polling for the rest of the constituencies will be held over the next two phases April 17 and 24. The state has a total of 29 Lok Sabha seats.

In Chhindwara, Congress leader and union minister Kamal Nath is pitted against Bharatiya Janata Party's Choudhary Chandrabhan Singh.

Voting took place at 16,592 polling stations where as many as 132,736 poll officials are on duty.

IANS

Jharkhand witnesses 58.03 percent polling

 Despite a Maoist call for boycott of the Lok Sabha election, Jharkhand Thursday witnessed moderate turnout of 58.03 percent in the first phase of polling.

"(A total of) 58.03 percent electors cast their votes for four seats of the state. Koderma witnessed highest polling with 60.97 percent followed by Palamu, Lohardaga and Chatra with 59.30, 59 and 53.88 percent, respectively," an Election Commission official told IANS.

No untoward incident was reported during the polling that began at 7 a.m. and concluded at 4 p.m. as scheduled.

"As many as 1,193 video cameras recorded the polling. Webcasting was done at 271 booths and 1,189 still cameras were also put into service," the official said.

A total of 5,647,736 voters decided the fate of 62 candidates in the fray in the four constituencies.

Around 40,000 security personnel were deployed and six helicopters were pressed into service, of which two conducted aerial surveillance, officials said.

Votes were cast at 7,058 booths, of which 2,134 were categorised as sensitive.

Maoist guerrillas put up posters in remote villages of Lohardaga, Palamu, Gumla and other districts, calling for election boycott.

Key candidates in the first phase of election in the state were former state police chief and BJP candidate V.D. Ram from Palamu who is facing sitting member and former Maoist leader Kameshwar Baitha of the Trinamool Congress and Manoj Bhuiya of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Koderma and Lohardaga constituencies witnessed triangular fights.

In 2009, the BJP won two of the four seats, while one went to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the fourth was bagged by an Independent candidate.

IANS

58 percent polling in Odisha till 4 p.m  

 With polling having picked up for the 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly seats in the first phase of voting in Odisha Thursday, 58 percent of the electorate cast their ballots till 4 p.m., an official said.

"Information received by 4.00 p.m. relating to polling percentage in the state is 58 percent," an official from the chief electoral officer's office here told IANS.

Voting was peaceful across the state except for some incidents in Maoist-hit Malkangiri and Koraput districts.

Unidentified people set fire to a truck carrying electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Mathili area of Malkangiri district Wednesday night. As a result, voting could not take place at four polling stations, Superintendent of Police Akhileshwar Singh told IANS.

Similarly, in nearby Koraput district, an EVM was snatched from a booth in Pujaripat village.

There were long queues at many polling centres even before voting started at 7 a.m. Thursday.

Over 13 million people were eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of Lok Sabha election in the state. Polling for the remaining 11 Lok Sabha and 77 assembly seats would be held in the second phase April 17.

There are a total of 28,880,850 voters in the state.

Security was tight and paramilitary personnel and police were deployed in vulnerable areas to ensure trouble-free polling.

Defying the boycott call given by the Maoists and braving scorching heat, people came out to exercise their franchise in the southern districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Kandhamal.

"People exercised their franchise in large numbers defying Maoist propaganda. High turnout of 50 to 60 percent has been reported in Maoist-hit areas," Inspector General of Police (South Western Range) Yaswant Jethwa told IANS.

Prominent candidates in the first phase are Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and two former chief ministers and senior Congress leaders Giridhar Gomang and Hemananda Biswal.

State Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro, former union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jual Oram, state BJP president K.V. Singh Deo and Congress leader Narasingh Mishra are also in the fray.
~PTI

Nearly 71 percent voting in Lakshadweep

 Up to 71.36 percent of the electorate voted Thursday in Lakshadweep in peaceful polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat, said an official.

India's smallest union territory Lakshadweep is a group of 36 islands, and has an electorate of less than 50,000.

"There was 71.36 percent voting till 5 p.m. and the voting is going on even after 6 p.m.," an official of the Lakshadweep chief electoral office told IANS.

Six candidates are in the fray.

Forty-four polling stations were set up for the voting that began at 7 a.m., officials added.

The Congress has dominated Lakshadweep ever since its first Lok Sabha elections in 1967, except for the 2004 polls when the Janata Dal (United) won.

~IANS

Bastar LS poll: 47 pc turnout amid firing, explosives seizure

 A low voter turnout of 47 per cent was recorded in the insurgency-hit Bastar parliamentary seat of Chhattisgarh today, amid violence by Naxals, who had called for poll boycott, leaving a police personnel injured.

Naxals ambushed a team of police personnel escorting a polling party when they were returning after conclusion of polling under Gadiras police station limits of Sukma district in south Chhattisgarh, injuring a state police constable, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Neeraj Chandrakar told PTI.

"The incident took place in the forests between Dhruwaras and Munga forests when the rebels triggered a pressure bomb blast followed by indiscriminate firing on security personnel," he said.

"A police constable - Raju Alami - was injured in the blast," he said, adding, the injured was being taken out of the forest.

Also, firing was reported near several polling booths and explosives were recovered from separate places in the tribal-dominated seat which went alone to polls in the first phase of parliamentary election in the state.

"As per information, around 47 per cent electorate exercised their franchise in Bastar parliamentary constituency," Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Kujur said.
PTI

Maharashtra: 56 pc polling in ten LS seats till 5 pm

About 56 per cent voting was reported in the ten Lok Sabha constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra till 5 pm today, Election Commission sources said.

The percentage is likely to go up as the polling was scheduled to end at 6 pm.

The constituency-wise percentages till 5 pm are as follows: Buldhana 53.86, Akola: 49.90, Amravati: 54.82, Wardha: 58.08, Ramtek: 50.00, Nagpur: 49.32, Bhandhara-gondiya: 58.60, Gadchiroli-Chimur: 61.00, Chandrapur: 55.80, Yavatmal- Washim: 49.46.

Today's elections would decide the fates of former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Praful Patel (NCP), former minister of State Vilas Muttemwar (Congress) and Shivajirao Moghe (Congress), among others.

Amid tight security, the voting was mostly peaceful, even in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli and parts of Bhandara and Gondia districts, authorities said.

58 percent polling in Odisha till 4 p.m  

 With polling having picked up for the 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly seats in the first phase of voting in Odisha Thursday, 58 percent of the electorate cast their ballots till 4 p.m., an official said.

"Information received by 4.00 p.m. relating to polling percentage in the state is 58 percent," an official from the chief electoral officer's office here told IANS.

Voting was peaceful across the state except for some incidents in Maoist-hit Malkangiri and Koraput districts.

Unidentified people set fire to a truck carrying electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Mathili area of Malkangiri district Wednesday night. As a result, voting could not take place at four polling stations, Superintendent of Police Akhileshwar Singh told IANS.

Similarly, in nearby Koraput district, an EVM was snatched from a booth in Pujaripat village.

There were long queues at many polling centres even before voting started at 7 a.m. Thursday.

Over 13 million people were eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of Lok Sabha election in the state. Polling for the remaining 11 Lok Sabha and 77 assembly seats would be held in the second phase April 17.

There are a total of 28,880,850 voters in the state.

Security was tight and paramilitary personnel and police were deployed in vulnerable areas to ensure trouble-free polling.

Defying the boycott call given by the Maoists and braving scorching heat, people came out to exercise their franchise in the southern districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Kandhamal.

"People exercised their franchise in large numbers defying Maoist propaganda. High turnout of 50 to 60 percent has been reported in Maoist-hit areas," Inspector General of Police (South Western Range) Yaswant Jethwa told IANS.

Prominent candidates in the first phase are Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and two former chief ministers and senior Congress leaders Giridhar Gomang and Hemananda Biswal.

State Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro, former union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jual Oram, state BJP president K.V. Singh Deo and Congress leader Narasingh Mishra are also in the fray.

Over 73 pc vote in Haryana; Chandigarh creates record

 Barring stray incidents, polling remained peaceful in 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana which witnessed healthy voter turnout of over 73 per cent today and Union Territory Chandigarh created a record of highest ever poll percentage of nearly 72 per cent.

Polling began on a slow note in Haryana this morning but picked up pace as the day progressed and heavy voter turnout was witnessed at various places including Kurukshetra and Sirsa.

"Over 1.6 crore eligible voters were to cast votes in the state," officials said, adding that polling was by and large peaceful.

Long queues were seen outside the booths at most of the places in Haryana, where polling was held in single phase and lone Lok Sabha seat of Chandigarh.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Walgad told PTI over phone that over 73 per cent of the voters had cast their votes and the polling by and large ended on a peaceful note this evening.

In 2009, the voters' turnout in the state was 68 per cent while 65.72 per cent in 2004.

Chandigarh's Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer Mohd Shayin said the Union Territory had recorded highest ever poll percentage in history, as it was set to cross 72 per cent even as final figures were being tabulated.

He said the polling, which started at 7 AM, remained peaceful in Chandigarh and queues could be seen inside booths even after the deadline for polling ended at 6 pm.

The DC said the voting began on a brisk note and over six lakh voters, including 2.8 lakh women, were eligible to exercise their franchise.

It is a four-cornered contest among candidates of Congress, BJP-HJC BL combine, main opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.

In Hisar, eight supporters of INLD and Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC-BL) were injured in clash in Azad Nagar area in Nalwa constituency of Hisar parliamentary seat over claims of "bogus voting" in a booth following which voting had to be suspended for a while in the affected booth.

HJC supremo and sitting MP Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is taking on INLD's greenhorn Dushyant Chautala, also received minor injuries on his finger, sources said.

In Haryana, the key candidates among a total of 230 whose fate has been sealed in the EVMs include industrialist Naveen Jindal, Deepender Hooda, Avtar Singh Bhadana, Shruti Chaudhry (Congress), former Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh (BJP) who is taking on Yogendra Yadav of AAP.

In a departure from the past trends of moderate voting in Chandigarh including 65.45 per cent in 2009 (highest), 51.14 per cent in 2004 and over 48.35 per cent in 1999, three occasions when Bansal had won, people queued up at the booths since morning which included 101-year-old father of BJP contestant Kirron Kher.

 PTI

Bihar

 A total of 50.36 per cent votes were cast till 4 pm in six parliamentary constituencies in Bihar which went to the polls today.

The Election Commission in a statement said that Sasaram (SC) seat registered 54 per cent polling, while neighbouring Karakat recorded 51 per cent.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is Congress candidate from Sasaram.

Aurangabad witnessed 47.5 per cent voting, while it was 51.64 per cent in Gaya(SC), 49 per cent in Nawada and 49 per cent in Jamui(SC), the statement said.

Voting ended at 4 pm in many parts of the six Lok Sabha constituencies, which were Maoist-hit, while it would conclude at 6 pm in other places.

Voting was put off for a future date in 22 polling stations of Jamui (SC) and Nawada seats in Maoist-hit areas due to security reasons.

Besides Meira Kumar, former Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar, Bihar Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary, President of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party Upendra Kushwaha, and Chirag Paswan, actor-politician son of Lok Janashakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan were prominent candidates in the six seats.
PTI

53 pc polling in Jammu; 4 hurt in sporadic clashes

Jammu: Amid tight security, brisk voting was today underway in Jammu Lok Sabha seat where Congress nominee and two-time MP Madan Lal Sharma is looking for a hat-trick while opposition BJP's Jugal Kishore Sharma is trying to woo electorate on Narendra Modi plank.

Voting for the seat started at 7 AM across all polling stations with voters standing in long queues outside various polling stations to exercise their franchise.

Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today cast his vote at DPS polling station in Jammu city.

"There are tough measures taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) this time to ensure free and fair polling", Azad told reporters here after casting his vote.

DIG Jammu-Kathua range, Shakeel Ahmed Baig said elaborate security arrangements have been put in place and there is no any report of untoward incidents.

Over 18 lakh voters are registered in Jammu constituency which has 2200 polling stations. 80 polling stations have been declared critical.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lok-sabha-polls-2014-delhi-polls-kerala-polls-lakshadweep-islands-polls/1/354882.html