Voting Begins For First Phase Of Lok Sabha Elections On 102 Parliamentary Seats
The voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections has begun. A total of 102 Parliamentary constituencies which include 11 Lok Sabha seats reserved for ST and 18 seats reserved for SC are going to polls in this phase. These constituencies are spread over 17 states and four Union Territories.
These are from States including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya. Senior BJP leaders and Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, Dr Jitendra Singh, Sanjeev Balyan and as well as BJP leaders Tamilisai Soundararajan and Jitin Prasada, and Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Karti Chidambaram and Nakul Nath and DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran are prominent faces whose political fate will be sealed in the EVMs today. A total of 1,625 candidates are in the fray in this phase.
The Voting which started at 7 AM will continue till 6 PM in most areas. In North-Eastern States and Hill States voting will conclude by 4 PM and 5 PM. However in Left Wing Extermism affected area voting will conclude early at 3 PM and 4 PM.
One lakh 63 thousand polling stations have been set up for 16 crore 63 lakh voters in this phase. Out of the total voters, 8 crore 40 lakhs are male, 8 crore 23 lakhs are female while over 11 thousand are third gender electors. Around 36 lakh first-time voters will also exercise their franchise. In this phase, over 14 lakh people aged more than 85 years and around 14 lakh PwD voters have been provided the option to vote from their homes.
The Election Commission has ensured that basic facilities like water, sheds, toilets, ramps, volunteers, wheelchairs, and electricity are in place so that every voter can cast their vote with ease. Forty-one helicopters, 84 special trains, and one lakh vehicles have been deployed to ferry polling and security personnel. 361 observers have been deployed in different Parliamentary Constituencies to keep a vigil on the polling process.
Over 4 thousand Flying Squads, more than five thousand Statistics Surveillance Teams, and over 2 thousand Video Surveillance teams are keeping surveillance around the clock to strictly and swiftly deal with any form of inducement of voters. Webcasting is being done in more than 50 percent of the polling stations along with the deployment of micro observers in all polling stations. Over one thousand three hundred inter-state and 162 international Border checkposts are keeping a strict vigil on any illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies. Strict surveillance is also being kept at sea and air routes.
Besides, polling is being held for electing new legislative assemblies in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in a single phase today.
In Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh, Voting started from 07 am. Akashvani correspondent reports, Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh is tribal dominated and is also affected by the problem of Left Wing Extremism. Total One thousand nine hundred and 61 polling booths have been set-up. Of these, 61 polling stations have been identified as vulnerable, while 196 polling booths are in critical category.
Total 11 candidates, are testing their electoral fortunes in this constituency. In Maoist affected areas of this constituency, the polling time is from 7 am to 3 pm. In other areas, the time of polling is from 7 am to 5 pm. Central Armed Police Forces personnel are deployed to ensure peaceful voting. The Election Commission is monitoring the polling process through webcasting at 811 polling booths.
Bastar is one of the few constituencies where women voters outnumbered men.
Voting is also going on smoothly in six Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh. Akashvani correspondent reports that people of all sections are voting eagerly in Sidhi, Shahdol, Mandla, Jabalpur, Balaghat and Chhindwara seats in Madhya Pradesh,. Voting will be held till 6 pm on all seats but voting will end at 4 pm in Naxal-affected Balaghat. In view of Naxal activities, an air ambulance is also deployed in Jabalpur and a helicopter in Balaghat.
More than 1 crore 13 lakh voters are deciding the fate of 88 candidates on these six seats. In this phase, 2 thousand 651 polling stations are sensitive while there are 1 thousand 118 pink booths and 33 Divyanga operated booths are added attractions.
More than 8 thousand polling stations are being continuously monitored through webcasting and CCTV. In the first phase in MP, Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste from Mandla and Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath from Chhindwara are the prominent candidates.
In Assam, polling has begun at 7 am and continue till 5 pm in five seats . A total of 35 candidates are in the fray in this phase. Over 86 lakh voters could exercise their voting rights today at Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur , Sonitpur and Kaziranga Lok Sabha seats. All the seats are likely to witness a straight contest between the Congress and the United Opposition Forum, Assam.
Political fate of several heavyweight candidates will be sealed in the first phase. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP MP Pradan Baruah, Topon Kumar Gogoi and Kamakhya Prasad Tasha, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and President of Asom Jatiya Parishad Lurinjyoti Gogoi are in the fray in this phase. Central armed police forces and micro observers have been deployed in all the critical polling booths.
In Meghalaya , voters are casting their votes to elect their public representative from two Lok Sabha seats , Shillong and Tura.
Voting process will continue till 4 pm. Security forces are keeping strict vigil to ensure peaceful elections in the state, mainly the border areas of Assam and Bangladesh adjoining Meghalaya. Both Shillong and Tura parliamentary seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
A total of 10 (ten) candidates are in the electoral fray from here. Out of which 6 (six) candidates are trying their luck from Shillong and 4 (four) candidates from Tura Lok Sabha seat. Out of the total 22 lakh 26 thousand 5 hundred sixty-seven (67) voters in the state, the number of female voters is more than the male voters, which is a reflection of the maternal society here. Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Bramha Dev Ram Tiwari said that 31 thousand 2 Hundred 47 voters will cast there vote first time.
Meghalaya, which is generally famous for extreme cold and rain, presently having sunny days. In a view of election preparations and favorable spring weather, voting is expected in large numbers.
In Sikkim, polling of votes for the simultaneous elections for the lone Lok Sabha seat and 32 seats of the State Legislative Assembly has begun from seven this morning. More than four lakh sixtysix thousand voters including two lakh thirtyone thousand female voters from 32 assembly constituencies across six districts of the state will decide electoral fortune of 146 candidates including 12 female candidates for the state assembly election and 14 candidates including one female candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat.
Voter turnout in almost all the polling stations of the 32 assembly constituencies in Sikkim is expected to be very high. At many polling stations in the State capital Gangtok, voters in large numbers are seen standing on queue waiting their turn to exercise their franchise even before the polling started. Reports received from other districts – Gyalshing, Mangan, Namchi, Soren and Pakyong also show similar turn out of voters. There is no report of any untoward incident so far from any part of the state.
Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram is also underway across the state under tight security arrangements.
Voting began at 7 am in all parts of the state and will continue till 5 pm. Polling is underway across the state peacefully.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma will cast his vote at his polling station in Chawlhhmun area in the western part of Aizawl at 10 AM, sources in the Chief Minister Office (CMO) said.
At least 6,500 polling personnel, over 3,500 policemen and 12 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed for the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made and all international borders and inter-state borders have been sealed to ensure peaceful elections.
Mizoram shares international boundaries with Myanmar in the east and Bangladesh in the west and also inter-state borders with Assam, Tripura and Manipur.
Over 8.56 lakh voters, including 4.4 lakh female voters, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Six candidates, including a woman, are in the fray for the Lok Sabha polls.
The ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has fielded debutant Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, while the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded sitting Rajya Sabha member from the state, K. Vanlalvena.
Congress has fielded former state home secretary Lalbiakzama while the BJP nominated its state president Vanlalhmuaka. The People’ Conference (PC) party fielded a woman candidate, Rita Malsawmi while Advocate Lalhriatrenga Chhangte, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019, is again trying his luck as an independent candidate this time.
Since 1972 when Mizoram first voted in the Lok Sabha polls, the ruling parties in the state usually won the polls except on two occasions in 1980 and 1998 when the Lok Sabha polls were swept by the opposition parties by forging electoral alliances.
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the then ruling MNF nominee C. Lalrosanga defeated his nearest opponent Lalnghinglova Hmar, an independent candidate backed by Congress and ZPM, by a margin of 8,140 votes.
The MNF had secured a vote share of 44.9 per cent, Congress-ZPM combined- 43.6 per cent and BJP- 5.75 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Counting of votes will take place on 4th June, along with the rest of the country.
Voting began in Lakshadweep Islands this morning, which goes to the poll in the first phase. The island constituency, spread over 10 islands, has 57,784 voters including 28,506 women. 55 polling booths have been set up across the islands for the electorate to exercise their franchise.
Four candidates are in the fray in Lakshadweep. NCP Sharad Pawar faction has fielded Mohammed Faisal, T P Yusuf of the Ajit Pawar faction is the NDA candidate. The Congress has fielded former MP Hamdullah Sayeed in the constituency.
