Polling ends for 1st phase of Lok Sabha elections
New Delhi, April 11:
Polling was peaceful in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in 91 constituencies spread over 18 states and two union territories on Thursday.
Briefing media in New Delhi, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said, few untoward incidents were reported.
Tripura recorded highest 81.8 per cent voting followed by West Bengal 81 per cent. Manipur 78.2 per cent, Nagaland 78 per cent, Assam and Odisha 68 per cent, Mizoram 60 per cent and Sikkim 69 per cent. Over 72 per cent polling was recorded in Jammu and in Baramulla, it was just over 35 per cent.
Eight seats of Uttar Pradesh recorded 63.7 per cent polling and 56 per cent voting took place in Maharashtra.
Bihar recorded more then 53 per cent polling while in Arunachal Pradesh turnout was 66 per cent. Uttarakhand recorded 57.85 per cent polling and Chhattisgarh 56 per cent.
In Telangana 60.57 per cent voting was recorded and in Meghalaya, it was 67.16 per cent. Andaman and Nicobar recorded nearly 80 per cent and Lakshadweep 66 per cent.
The Commission expressed happiness that more women came out in large numbers for voting. In all polling booths, EVMs were used along with VVPATs. The Commission said, 15 cases of damage of EVMs reported today.
It said, six lakh voters were added to electoral rolls last week and 1.4 lakh in it are newly-eligible voters. The Poll Body said, 570 model code references received by it from various Government departments so far, of which 547 were responded to in shortest possible time.
Polling could not take place at four polling stations of Gadchiroli as the polling teams could not reach there as these were Naxal-affected areas. The commission will go for re-poll in these four polling stations.
Simultaneous voting also took place to 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly, 32-seat Sikkim Assembly, 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and for 28 of 147 Assembly seats in Odisha.
All 25 parliamentary constituencies of Andhra Pradesh, 17 of Telangana, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Maharashtra, five each of Assam and Uttarakhand, four each in Bihar and Odisha, 2 each of Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, and one each of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep went to polls in this phase.