Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Around 50 per cent turnout recorded till 3 pm

An estimated 50 per cent turnout was recorded till 3 pm on Friday in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories amid sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal while an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh left a CRPF jawan deadAn Election Commission spokesperson said the turnout figure of 4978 per cent was only approximate and polling was progressing smoothly and peacefullyAssembly elections are also being held simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh and SikkimAmong the voters were firsttimers many newlywed couples who came in their traditional attires physicallychallenged people and some elderly persons carried on stretchers and wheelchairsMinor EVM glitches were reported at some booths in Tamil Nadu Arunachal Pradesh Andaman and Nicobar Islands and AssamPolling began at 7 AM and will end at 6 PM Election officials said the turnout in West Bengal was 6634 per cent till 3 pm and Meghalaya 62 per cent while six districts of eastern Nagaland wore a deserted look as people stayed indoors following an indefinite shutdown call by an apex body of tribal organisations to press for its demand for a separate stateIn West Bengal polling was marred by violence in the Cooch Behar seat TMC and BJP workers clashed with each other and lodged 80 and 39 complaints respectively related to poll violence voter intimidation and assault on poll agents sources from both parties saidIn strifetorn Manipur around 4568 per cent polling was recordedAn altercation broke out between locals and unidentified persons in Thongju assembly constituency under the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seatIn Chhattisgarh 5814 per cent voters cast their votes in the Naxalhit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency where the CRPF jawan after the grenade accidentally went off while an officer was injured in an IED blast in another incidentCheck Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 1 LIVE updates hereIn Tamil Nadu where polling is spread over 39 constituencies a voting percentage of over 40 per cent was recordedVoting was delayed by an hour in some polling booths in the state such as the one near Tambaram due to technical glitches in the electronic voting machinesArunachal Pradesh saw 53 per cent of the total 892694 voters exercising their franchiseThough the turnout was moderate in the morning hours due to inclement weather it gathered momentum with weather conditions improvingIn a few polling stations in the state polling was delayed as the electronic voting machines EVMs developed technical snags which were later replaced Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain saidSupporters of two candidates clashed near a polling station in the Bameng constituency in East Kameng district Inspector General of Police Law amp Order Chukhu Apa said adding the situation was brought under control and polling is continuingIncidents of EVM damage were also reported from three polling stations in East Kameng Kurung Kumey and Upper Subansiri districts the police officer saidAndaman and Nicobar Islands saw a voting percentage of 454 per centThere were some minor EVM glitches but it was addressed immediately officials saidFor the first time in the Union territory seven members of the Shompen tribe a particularly vulnerable tribal group of Great Nicobar Islands voted for the lone Lok Sabha seatAssam also reported EVM malfunctioning at three polling booths of Bihpuria in Lakhimpur one each in Hojai Kaliabor and Bokakhat and one in Naharkatia of Dibrugarh an official saidMost of the glitches were noticed during the mock poll which started 90 minutes before the commencement of actual voting Those glitches were rectified immediately Voting started sometime late in those booths and now it is going smoothly officials saidThe state saw a polling percentage of 6070 per centA vehicle carrying an EVM partially sank into a river after water level rose suddenly washing away a mechanised boat that was ferrying the SUV in Lakhimpur constituency The driver and the polling officer of the vehicle managed to get out before water gushed into the vehicleAround 4092 per cent of the 75 lakh voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar exercised their franchise till 3 pmBraving incessant rains 4311 per cent of voters exercised their choice in the first six hours of polling in Jammu and Kashmirs Udhampur parliamentary constituencyIn Rajasthan over 4151 per cent voting took place till 3 pmUttarakhand saw over 4562 per cent polling till 3 pmIn Maharashtra a voter turnout of 447 per cent was recorded till 3 pm while the six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 5340 per centCheck Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE updates hereUttar Pradesh witnessed 4744 per cent voting Mizoram 49 Nagaland 4353 Puducherry 5886 and Sikkim 5273Over 1663 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase In the first phase there are 3567 lakh first time voters besides 351 crore young voters in the age group of 2029 yearsCounting of votes in the elections that will conclude on June one will be taken up on June 4Polling is being held for all seats of Tamil Nadu 39 Uttarakhand 5 Arunachal Pradesh 2 Meghalaya 2 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1 Mizoram 1 Nagaland 1 Puducherry 1 Sikkim 1 and Lakshadweep 1Besides voting is underway in 12 seats of Rajasthan eight in Uttar Pradesh six in Madhya Pradesh five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra four in Bihar three in West Bengal two in Manipur and one seat each in Tripura Jammu and Kashmir and ChhattisgarhSimultaneously assembly elections are being held in Arunachal Pradesh 60 seats and Sikkim 32 seatsThe Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 187 lakh polling stationsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove 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