Simultaneously, assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats) will also be held
Polling officials and security personnel with EVMs and other election materials disembark from a ferry on their way to a polling station in Golaghat, Assam. Pic/PTI
The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will kick off today with polling for the first phase scheduled in 102 seats spread across 21 states and Union territories and among those in the fray are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbanada Sonowal and Bhupendra Yadav, Gaurav Gogoi of Congress, DMK’s Kanimozhi and K Annamalai of BJP.
Simultaneously, assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats) will also be held. Voting will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm. The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations where over 16.63 crore voters will exercise their franchise. Voters include 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender. There are as many as 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.
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An election official during the distribution of EVM and other polling material on the eve of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. Pic/PTI
While the BJP-led NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a stronger majority, the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Polling will be held in 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 (1).
Besides, there will be voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, 4 in Bihar, 3 in West Bengal, 2 seats in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.
Uttarakhand: BJP seeks hat-trick
Dehradun: Polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand will be held on Friday with the BJP aiming to retain the seats for a third time and the Congress looking to regain lost ground in the state. Voting will begin at 7 am across 11,729 polling stations and continue until 5 pm, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande said. The BJP won all the five seats in Uttarakhand in 2014 and 2019 general elections. The five seats going to polls on Friday are Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and the lone reserved seat of Almora. More than 83 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates in the fray. Sitting BJP MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ajay Tamta have been fielded by the party from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri Garhwal and Almora, respectively.
High stakes in Coochbehar
Kolkata: All eyes will be on Coochbehar constituency which goes to polls along with two other seats in north Bengal in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal (WB). Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik is taking on TMC’s Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia in Coochbehar (SC), which saw the death of four people in firing allegedly by central forces in Sitalkuchi during the 2021 assembly elections, that has been made an issue by the TMC in the current poll campaign also. Jalpaiguri (SC) and Alipurduars (ST) are the other two constituencies which will go to polls in the first of the seven-phases in WB, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats.
J-K: Amid ceasefire, peaceful voting expected in Udhampur
Security personnel and polling officials transport EVMs at Dusra Village in Doda. Pic/PTI
Jammu: In view of the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan and the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces, the voting process is expected to be peaceful in 2,637 polling stations in the Udhampur, an official said. The seat in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls on Friday. “Out of the 2,637 polling stations (in Udhampur), 31 are located along the International Border in Kathua district. Necessary arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful polling,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Pandurang K Pole said. “Because a ceasefire is holding (between India and Pakistan since February 2021) without any major ceasefire violations, the polling is expected to be peaceful,” Pole said. “All arrangements are in place for free, fair and peaceful voting tomorrow (Friday). The security measures are foolproof with adequate deployment of police and CAPF personnel,” Returning officer for Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency Rakesh Minhas told PTI.
Sikkim Assembly polls showdown
Gangtok: Sikkim CM and SKM supremo Prem Singh Tamang, former CM and SDF chief Pawan Kumar Chamling are among the 146 candidates in fray for 32 assembly seats which will go to the polls amid elaborate security arrangements in the Himalayan state. Tamang, who is spearheading the ruling SKM’s bid to retain power, is contesting from two assembly seats, Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung. The SKM chief who is seeking a seventh consecutive term as MLA, is locked in a multi-cornered contest in both assembly constituencies with former minister and SDF nominee Som Nath Poudyal being his main challenger in Rhenock assembly constituency, while SDF candidate AD Subba is his main opponent in Soreng-Chakung assembly constituency. The SKM supremo’s wife Krishna Kumari is contesting from Namchi-Singhithang assembly constituency where she is locked in a quadrangular contest in which the SDF has put up Bimal Rai.
Nagaland:Three candidates vie for lone seat
Kohima: All arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of elections to the lone Lok Sabha in Nagaland where over 13.25 lakh voters on Friday will decide the fate of three candidates in the fray. Congress nominee S Supongmeren Jamir, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Chumben Murry and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha are contesting the elections. BJP President J P Nadda, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Ministers T R Zeliang and Y Patton addressed several rallies in support of their candidate.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands ready for unique poll challenge
Port Blair: Arrangements have been made for conducting polls for the lone seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with polling personnel traversing deep jungles and crocodile-infested mangrove swamps to set up booths in remote areas to ensure all the 3.15 lakh voters get an opportunity to vote. Of the 3.15 lakh voters, 1.64 lakh are men and 1.51 lakh are women, while there are four third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 39 voters of the Great Nicobarese tribe of Strait Islands, 68 members of the Onge tribe at Hut Bay and 98 members of the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island.
Tight security as Manipur gears up
Imphal: Tight security arrangements have been put in place for the first of the two-phased Lok Sabha elections in Manipur, which had been rocked by ethnic violence over the last one year, officials said on Thursday. The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 32 of the 60 assembly segments in the state, and 15 assembly segments of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on Friday. Voting will be held in the remaining 13 segments of Outer Manipur in the second phase on April 26. A total of six candidates, including Education Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh of BJP and Angomcha Bimol Akoijam of Congress, are contesting Inner Manipur seat.
Madhya Pradesh: All six constituencies ready for first phase
Bhopal: All preparations have been made across the six constituencies in Madhya Pradesh where polling will be held on Friday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, an official said. Of the 29 parliamentary constituencies in the BJP-ruled state, Shahdol, Mandla (both reserved for Scheduled Tribes), Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara and Sidhi will go to polls in the first phase. Altogether, these constituencies cover 13 districts and 27 assembly segments. Voting will start at 7 am and end at 6 pm in most places, the state’s chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan told reporters here on Thursday. Due to security reasons, polling will be held from 7 am to 4 pm in Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada assembly segments of the Naxal-affected Balaghat constituency, he added. As many as 88 candidates, 81 men and seven women, are in the fray across the six constituencies. Jabalpur has the highest 19 candidates while Shadold has the lowest ten candidates in the fray. Polling teams have already started arriving at 13,588 booths. Women officials will be in charge of 1,118 polling booths, Rajan informed.
Bihar’s poll drama: Tight security as 38 candidates vie for votes
Patna: The stage is set for the first phase in Bihar where more than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates standing in four constituencies. Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as sensitive, given these districts’ long history of naxal violence. Of the four seats, Nawada has the highest number of 20.06 lakh voters, where altogether eight candidates are in the fray.
Bastar braces: High security amid Maoist threat
Raipur: Amid heightened security measures, the Naxal-affected Bastar Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh will go to polls in the first phase of general elections on Friday, where 11 candidates are in fray. Maoists’ call to boycott elections poses a challenge to security forces, but their morale seems to be high following a major counter-insurgency operation in Kanker district on April 16 in which 29 Naxals were gunned down by them.
Rajasthan: 12 seats up for grabs as Union minister among contestants
Jaipur: Twelve of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan will go to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday. A Union minister is among the 114 candidates in the fray. Polling will be held in twelve out of 25 Lok Sabha seats Churu, Nagaurm, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa, from 7 am to 6 pm. According to chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta, a total of 2.54 crore voters are set to vote in the first phase. The BJP won all 25 seats in Rajasthan in 2014, and in 2019, NDA won 25 seats.
Mizoram gears up with six aspirants in fray
Aizawl: All arrangements have been made for Friday’s polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram in which six candidates are in the fray, a senior election official said. Over 6.56 lakh electorates, including 4.4 lakh female voters are eligible to cast their votes, he said. Mizoram additional chief electoral officer H Lianzela told PTI that voting will begin in all 1,276 polling stations across the state at 7 am. The official said that the international border with Myanmar and with Bangladesh has been sealed. Besides, movement of traffic in the state boundaries with Assam, Manipur and Tripura has been restricted.
Tripura: BJP’s Biplab faces off against Cong in high-stakes contest
Agartala: All arrangements for conducting elections in Tripura West Parliamentary constituency and by-poll to Ramnagar Assembly seat to be held on Friday have been completed, an official said. Although nine candidates are in the fray in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, the battle will be mainly between BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Asish Kumar Saha. A total of 14.61 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. Of them, 7.33 lakh are male while the number of female voters is 7.28 lakh.
Assam gears up for triangular contests
Vehicles requisitioned for first phase parked in Tinsukia, Assam. Pic/PTI
Guwahati: Assam is all set to witness direct and triangular contests for the first of the three-phased Lok Sabha polls in five constituencies to decide the fate of 35 candidates, including that of Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal. A total electorate of 86,47,869, comprising 43,64,859 women who outnumber the 42,82,887 male voters, and 123 third genders, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 10,001 polling booths.
West UP: Stage set for three-cornered battle
Lucknow: The voters of eight Lok Sabha constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh, falling in the Jat and sugarcane belt, are set to exercise their constitutional right as polling for the first phase of the seven-phase parliamentary election begins on Friday. The seats going to polls on Friday are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina (reserved for Scheduled Castes), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The poll campaign for the first phase ended on Wednesday evening. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said no campaign-related activity by candidates is allowed in these eight constituencies now and the final preparations for polling are on. The stage is set for a three-cornered poll contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Employment, education and development are among the leading issues for the voters in these constituencies.
Tamil Nadu: Modi’s hostile push, Dravidian giants’ standoff
Chennai: Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations.
Puducherry: BJP vs Cong battle for lone seat
Puducherry: The fate of 26 candidates in fray for the Lok Sabha polls will be sealed when voters spread across four regions will pick the lone MP from this union territory, where the fight is largely confined between the ruling BJP and Congress. BJP leader and Home Minister A Namassivayam, fielded on behalf of the AINRC-BJP combine, will face-off Congress MP and PCC president V Vaithilingam, while AIADMK’s G Tamizhvendhan is also testing his luck as a debutant. The UT has a total of 10,23,699 voters spread over Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions. Polling will be held between 7 am and 6 pm Friday.
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