Overall Voter Turnout Stands At 60.03% By 7 PM; PM Modi Tweets On 'Phase 1' Great Response
First phase, great response! Thank you to all those who have voted today. Getting EXCELLENT feedback from today’s voting. It’s clear that people across India are voting for NDA in record numbers.
2.5-Feet-Tall Azim Mansoori Casts His Vote In Shamli, UP (VIDEO)
Kairana, Uttar Pradesh: 2.5 ft tall Azim Mansoori cast his vote in Shamli earlier today.
Voter Turnout In Bihar And Bengal Till 5 PM
77.57% voter turnout was recorded in West Bengal Lok Sabha elections and 46.32 % in Bihar, an average of 59.71 % in the first phase till 5 PM.
Voting Concludes In Jammu & Kashmir's Kathua
Jammu and Kashmir: Voting concludes in Kathua for Lok Sabha elections. EVMs, and VVPATs machines are being sealed.
Voting Concludes In Muzaffarnagar
Uttar Pradesh: Voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections concludes in Muzaffarnagar.
Northeast States Record High Voter Turnout, Tripura Leads With 53 Percent Turnout At 1 PM
There was a substantial increase in the voter turnout charts across the states in the country, with North-Eastern state of Tripura still leading at 53.04 per cent till 1 pm as per the data released by the Election Commission of India.
Other Northeast states like Meghalaya (48.91) and Manipur (46.92) are also witnessing high voter turnout percentages.
After Tripura, West Bengal is experiencing high voter turnout at 50.96 per cent.
The lowest turnout till 1 pm has been recorded in Lakshadweep at 29.91 per cent.
Voting percentages for the states participating in phase 1 elections are -- Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 35.70 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh - 37.39 per cent, Assam - 45.12 per cent, Bihar - 32.41 per cent, Chhattisgarh - 42.57 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir - 43.11 per cent, Maharashtra - 32.36 per cent and Madhya Pradesh- 44.43.
Mizoram - 39.71 per cent, Nagaland - 43.62 per cent, Puducherry - 44.95 per cent, Rajasthan - 33.73 per cent, Sikkim - 36.82 per cent, Tamil Nadu - 39.51 per cent, Tripura - 53.04 per cent, Uttar Pradesh - 36.96 per cent, Uttarakhand 37.33 per cent.
Tripura leads voter turnout list with 34.54 per cent voting percentage till 11 am
Tripura is leading the voter turnout charts after 34.54 per cent voting percentage was recorded in the state till 11 am as per the data released by the Election Commission of India.
Other states like West Bengal (33.56) Meghalaya (33.12) and Madhya Pradesh (30.56) are also witnessing high voter turnout percentages.
The lowest turnout till 11 am has been recorded in Lakshadweep (16.33 per cent).
Voting percentages for the states participating in phase 1 elections are -- Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 21.82 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh - 18.74 per cent, Assam - 27.22 per cent, Bihar - 20.42 per cent, Chhattisgarh - 28.12 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir - 22.60 per cent, Maharashtra - 19.17 per cent
Manipur - 28.19 per cent, Meghalaya - 33.12 per cent, Mizoram - 26.56 per cent, Nagaland - 22.82 per cent, Puducherry - 28.10 per cent, Rajasthan - 22.51 per cent, Sikkim - 21.20 per cent, Tamil Nadu - 23.72 per cent, Tripura - 34.54 per cent, Uttar Pradesh - 25.20 per cent, Uttarakhand 24.83 per cent.
Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin along with his wife casts his vote at a polling booth in Chennai
One jawan of CRPF 196 Battalion was injured in a UBGL cell blast during area domination in the Galgam area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur.
West Bengal & Madhya Pradesh lead voter turnout chart with 15.09% and 15% respectively
As of 9:30 am voter turnout percentages varied across states participating in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections with states like West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh leading the voter turnout charts.
According to the data released by the Election Commission of India, West Bengal saw a 15.09 per cent voter turnout while Madhya Pradesh recorded a 15 per cent till 9 am.
Voting percentages for the states participating in phase 1 elections are --
Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 8.64 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh - 6.29 per cent, Assam - 11.15 per cent, Bihar 9.23 per cent, Chhattisgarh 12.02 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 10.43 per cent, Lakshadweep 5.59 per cent, Maharashtra 6.98 per cent.
Manipur 11.91 per cent, Meghalaya 13.71 per cent, Mizoram 11.22 per cent, Nagaland 10.64 per cent, Puducherry 10.11 per cent, Rajasthan 10.67 per cent, Sikkim 7.92 per cent, Tamil Nadu 8.25 per cent, Tripura 15.21 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 12.66 per cent, Uttarakhand 10.54 per cent
CRPF Jawan Dies At Polling Station In Coochbehar
A 42-year-old CRPF jawan died at a polling booth's washroom in Mathabhanga in Coochbehar. Nilesh Kumar Neelu, a resident of Bihar, was on duty at the polling station in the Beltala area of Mathabhanga. He reportedly fell ill suddenly late Thursday night, with blood coming from his nose and mouth. He was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital.
Superstar Rajinikanth, Dhanush Cast Votes In Tamil Nadu Amid Tight Security, Get Mobbed
As the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 was finally kicked off on Friday, Tamil Nadu went into polling and several south bigwigs were amongst the first ones to cast their votes. Superstar Rajinikanth, actors Dhanush, Ajith and others were seen fulfilling their responsibility by casting their votes.
In a video that has now gone viral, Rajinikanth can be seen arriving at a polling booth in Chennai in the early hours of Friday amid heavy police bandobast. And as soon as the locals got a whiff of the actor's presence in their vicinity, they thronged the polling booth and mobbed the star as he made his way in.
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Union Minister and BJP candidate from Bikaner Lok Sabha seat, Arjun Ram Meghwal casts his vote at a polling station in Bikaner
Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin casts his vote at a polling booth in Chennai
Iran Fires Air Defence Batteries After Explosions Reported Near Isfahan
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It remained unclear if the country was under attack. However, tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran's unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel.
IRNA said the defenses fired across several provinces. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju casts his vote in his native village Nafra in Arunachal Pradesh
Tamil Nadu BJP chief and party's candidate from Coimbatore constituency, K Annamalai casts his vote at a polling booth in Uthupatti, Karur
Union Home Minister Amit Shah urges voters to vote in large numbers to create a secure, developed, and self-reliant India
Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on his official X account and said, "It is an important day today, as the first phase of voting is taking place in the country. I appeal to all the voters who are voting in this phase to vote in large numbers because every vote of yours has the power to create a secure, developed, and self-reliant India. Your vote is not only meant to determine the fate of a Lok Sabha or a candidate but also to shape a bright future for India..."
Indian Navy Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi Appointed As Next Chief Of Naval Staff
Indian Navy Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi presently serving as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff has been appointed the next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of 30th April, 2024. The present Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, retires from service on 30th April, 2024.
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WB Governor CV Ananda Bose reacts to alleged stone pelting incident in West Bengal's Medinipur
While speaking on the alleged stone pelting incident that took place in West Bengal's Medinipur, WB Governor CV Ananda Bose said, "...Peace and harmony is something that the people of Bengal want and the people of Bengal deserve. It is after the authorities to ensure that there is law and order in the state, especially during the elections. Any perpetrators of violence should be booked and stern action should be taken, that is the responsibility of the Election Commission..."
BJP's South Chennai candidate Tamilisai Soundarajan casts her vote at a polling booth in Saligramam, Chennai
Former Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami casts his vote at a polling booth in Salem
PM Narendra Modi urges voters to exercise their franchise in record numbers
In a post on his official social media handle on X, PM Modi said, "The 2024 Lok Sabha elections commence today! As 102 seats across 21 States and UTs go to the polls, I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers. I particularly call upon the young and first time voters to vote in large numbers. After all, every vote counts and every voice matters!"
Congress leader P Chidambaram casts his vote at a polling booth in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat shows his inked finger after casting his vote in Nagpur in the first phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024
Voting begins in 102 seats across 21 States & UTs
Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7:00 am. Voters will exercise their franchise until 6:00 pm.
A total of 16.63 crore voters are going to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, deciding the fate of 1625 candidates, with Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Bhupendra Yadav, and Arjun Ram Meghwal among several Union ministers in the fray.
According to the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up, while 18 lakh personnel have been deployed across the 102 constituencies going to the polls.
