LS Polls: 63.69% Turnout in UP, 53.06% in Bihar, 57.85% in U’Khand

Eight constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, which voted in the first phase of Lok Sabha election, recorded an overall 63.69 percent voter turnout till 6 pm on Thursday, 11 April.

Four constituencies of Bihar recorded 53.06 percent turnout, while 57.85 percent voter turnout was recorded in the five constituencies of Uttarakhand till 5 pm, in the first phase of polling. Chhattisgarh’s only constituency, Bastar recorded 56 percent voter turnout.

Earlier in the day, reports said that BSF personnel fired shots in the air to deter alleged fake voters from casting their ballot in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana.

Eighteen constituencies across the ‘Hindi heartland’ – including those in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh – cast their ballot in 2019 Lok Sabha elections today.

Catch the live updates from constituencies voting in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, South India and the Northeast here.

For all the live updates from the Assembly elections in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, click here.

Gautam Buddh Nagar witnessed 62.7 percent voter turnout for the Lok Sabha election on Thursday, with electors in rural areas outnumbering those in urban areas, said officials.

Union minister Mahesh Sharma is seeking reelection as a BJP candidate from Gautam Buddh Ngar, citing development work.

The Congress is hoping a young Arvind Kumar Singh regain the seat it had lost in the 1980s, while the BSP's Satveer Nagar, a rural favourite, is being backed by the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party as the coalition candidate.

Gautam Buddh Nagar comprises Noida, Jewar, Dadri, Khurja and Sikandrabad assembly segments, with the latter two being in Bulandshahr district, they said.

Except Noida, other segments are predominantly rural areas.

An estimated 53.06 percent voter turnout was recorded in four Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar, a top election official said.

Turnout in the five constituencies in Uttarakhand was as below.

• Tehri Garhwal - 54.38 percent
• Garhwal - 49.89 percent
• Almora - 48.78 percent
• Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar - 66.39 percent
• Haridwar - 66.24 percent

Poll officials said till 6 pm Saharanpur recorded maximum voter turnout at 70.68 percent, while the least turnout was reported for Ghaziabad Lok Sabha seat where it stood at 57.60 percent.

The polling percentage in Meerut and Baghpat stood at around 63 and 63.90 percent respectively.

The voting percentage in Kairana was 62.10 percent, Muzaffarnagar 65.66 percent, Bijnor 65.40 per cent and 60.15 per cent in Gautam Buddh Nagar, they said.

The voter turnout recorded in Bihar for four constituencies is 50 percent till 5 pm.

The voter turnout recorded in Uttar Pradesh till 6 pm is 63.69 percent. It was 65 percent in 2014 for the corresponding seats.

At a press conference, the EC said that the voter turnout recorded in Uttarakhand was 57.85 percent till 5 pm. The EC said that the state had recorded a turnout of 62.15 percent in the last parliamentary elections.

In a press conference, the EC announced that Bastar, the only constituency in Chhattisgarh that went to the polls on Thursday recorded 56 percent voter turnout. He added that the constituency had recorded 59 percent the previous time.

Talking about the blast that had happened, he mentioned that the constituency nearest to the area, Shamgiri had seen 77 percent turnout.

Voter turnout recorded till 6 pm in Bihar in various constituencies is as below.

• Aurangabad- 49.85 percent
• Gaya- 56 percent
• Nawada- 52.50 percent
• Jamui- 54 percent

Voter turnout till 5 pm in various constituencies in Uttar Pradesh is as below.

• Saharanpur - 63.76 percent
• Kairana - 60.00 percent
• Muzaffarnagar - 60.80 percent
• Bijnor - 60.60 percent
• Meerut - 59.40 percent
• Baghpat - 60.40 percent
• Ghaziabad - 55.20 percent
• Gautam Buddh Nagar - 58.00 percent

Uttar Pradesh has recorded 59.77 percent voter turnout till 5 pm.

EVMs and VVPATs are being packed at a polling station in Haldwani, Uttarakhand after the voting concluded in the first phase of polling.

Satish Chandra Mishra of BSP said that they had registered a complaint with the EC about an EVM.

“We have sent them a video clip of an EVM, in which it is seen that 'elephant' symbol is being pressed but vote is going to BJP's 'lotus' symbol. Our people had complained against it but no action was taken,” he said, reported ANI.

Voter turnout till 5 pm in the four constituencies in Bihar is as below.

• Aurangabad - 49.50 percent
• Gaya - 48.66 percent
• Nawada - 49 percent
• Jamui - 54 percent

Bihar has recorded 50.26 percent voter turnout till 5 pm.

EVMs and VVPATs are being taken to the strong room in Bihar’s Jamui as polling for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections has concluded there.

Voter turnout till 3 pm in Uttarakhand is 46.59 percent.

Dalit voters from Kairana constituency's Shamli Naya Bazaar, Uttar Pradesh have alleged that they were humiliated by the Election Commission of India and not allowed to cast their votes despite their names being present on the voters list, reported Firstpost.

One such voter claimed that polling officers did not allow them to cast their vote because they were Dalits.

Voter turnout till 4 pm in Bihar is 48.74 percent.

BJP leader Anil Baluni cast his vote at a polling station in Pauri, Uttarakhand.

Voter turnout till 4 pm in various constituencies in Bihar is as below.

• Aurangabad - 48.75 percent
• Gaya - 46 percent
• Nawada - 47 percent
• Jamui - 53.35 percent

Voter turnout till 3 pm in various constituencies in Uttar Pradesh is as below.

• Saharanpur - 54.18 percent
• Kairana - 52.40 percent
• Muzaffarnagar - 50.60 percent
• Bijnor - 50.80 percent
• Meerut - 51.00 percent
• Baghpat - 51.20 percent
• Ghaziabad - 47.00 percent
• Gautam Buddh Nagar - 49.72 percent

Uttar Pradesh has seen 50.86 percent voter turnout till 3 pm.

A periodical report on developments in the Uttar Pradesh elections, claimed that there had been no instances of booth capturing, bogus voting, violence and breach of order.

The BSP has written to the EC, claiming to be receiving information about BSP voters, especially Dalits being forcibly stopped from reaching polling booths. The party claimed that all this was apparently being done on diktat of higher-ups and asked for immediate intervention, reported ANI.

BR Tiwari, Additional Chief Election Officer, responded to Sanjiv Balyan’s allegation that women in burkhas are not being checked and that fake voting is being done, saying that women officials verify their identity.

“If a woman is in a veil, there are women officials who verify their identity and only then allow them to vote. No such incident has come to our notice,” he said, reported ANI.

A “Pink Polling Booth”, an all-women polling booth has been set up in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar.

BSF personnel fired shots in the air to deter alleged fake voters from casting their ballot in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana on Thursday, 11 April. The incident took place at a polling booth in Rasoolpur Gujran village under Kandhla police station around 12 pm.

Some people, who had turned up without their identity cards, tried to enter the polling booth forcibly. Pushing and shoving ensued when the presiding officer tried to stop them, said Superintendent of Police, Shamli, Ajay Kumar.

To bring the situation under control, BSF personnel at the booth fired in the air, which led to chaos. Later police personnel also reached the spot, he said. The situation is normal now and polling is underway smoothly, the SP added.

A report by The Hindu said a CRPF guard fired a shot in the air after a BJP worker and former MLC tried to capture a booth with his supporters in Rasoolpur polling station in Kairana.

The Border Security Force (BSF) open fire and lathi-charged alleged fake voters in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana, reported News18.

Yoga guru Ramdev cast his vote at a polling station in Haridwar in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Uttar Pradesh CEO L Venkateshwarlu seeks report from Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate over the ‘NaMo’ food packets.

Four Naxals were arrested and three firearms seized from them in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, 11 April, while polling was underway in the state's Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.

The Naxals, belonging to Maad division of Maoists, were apprehended from Bedre area in the morning when a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and district force was out on an area domination operation, an official said.

"Three weapons were also recovered from their possession," he added.

An estimated 13.73 percent voting was recorded in the first three hours of polling that began amid tight security in four Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, in the first leg of the seven-phased election.

Few incidents of EVM malfunctioning were reported in some booths under the Nawada Lok Sabha constituency, and a cane bomb was found at a polling station in Gaya district before voting began at 7 am.

Polling is underway in the four Lok Sabha seats of Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui.

13.34 percent polling recorded in the five constituencies of Uttarakhand till 9 am, reported PTI.

‘NaMo’ food platters are reportedly being served outside polling booths in Noida, from where Union Minister Mahesh Sharma is contesting.

Manish Khanduri, the Congress candidate from Uttarakhand’s Pauri seat, cast his ballot, earlier today.

With 8 percent in Saharanpur, 10 percent in Kairana, Muzaffarnagar and Meerut, 11 percent in Bijnor and Baghpat, and 12 percent in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh has recorded an overall 10 percent voter turnout in the first phase of polling.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat cast his vote at polling booth number 124 in Dehradun's Defence Colony.

Union Minister and Muzaffarnagar BJP candidate Sanjiv Balayan alleged that there was “fake voting” as women cld in burkhas are not being checked.

A joint party of the government came under a naxal ambush when they were moving for a polling booth near Farasgaon, Narayanpur, in the early morning hours of Thursday, 11 April.

The jawans successfully broke the ambush and proceeded for polling booth where polling has begun, reported ANI.

No casualties have been reported as yet.

Union Minister Satyapal Singh, who is contesting from Baghpat, said that the BJP will emerge victorious as people have “seen development” over the last five years.

“BJP will win, we will form the government,” declared Union Minister VK Singh, after casting his ballot in Ghaziabad, from where he is seeking a second term.

Polling is underway in Polampalli, located in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh.

Polling is also underway in the state’s Dantewada district’s Shyamgiri, where the recent IED blast took place on 9 April.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat queues up to vote for the Lok Sabha elections in Devalchaur, located in Haldwani.

Former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal also cast his vote at a polling booth in Dehradun.

Voters are being welcomed with flower petals and dhol beats in booth number 126 of Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat.

Polling at booth number 158 in UP's Saharanpur halted due to faulty Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), reported ANI.

Polling begins at Saharanpur’s JB Jain Degree College, located in Uttar Pradesh.

In the eight western Uttar Pradesh constituencies, the ruling BJP is going all out to repeat its 2014 Lok Sabha performance, a task made much tougher this time by the new SP-BSP-RLD alliance.

In Muzaffarnagar, RLD chief Ajit Singh will take on BJP's Sanjeev Balyan. His son Jayant Chaudhary is fielded against Union minister Satyapal Singh in Baghpat. Union ministers VK Singh and Mahesh Sharma are BJP candidates in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar, respectively.

Over 1.5 crore voters will decide the fate of 96 candidates in the eight constituencies.

Four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar – Gaya, Jamui, Nawada and Aurangabad – go to polls in the first phase of elections on 11 April.

Leading the charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held rallies in Jamui and Gaya, which are being contested by BJP alliance partners LJP and JD(U) respectively.

BJP president Amit Shah held a rally in Aurangabad, from where party MP Sunil Kumar Singh is seeking re-election. The opposition "Mahagathbandhan" has fielded Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) candidate Upendra Prasad from the seat.

LJP leader Chirag Paswan is contesting from the Jamui reserved seat. He is the sitting MP and is locked in a straight contest with Bhudeo Chaudhary of RLSP.

Polling in Chhattisgarh's Bastar seat in phase-one of the Lok Sabha elections will be held as per schedule, Election Commission officials said Tuesday, hours after a BJP MLA and four security personnel were killed in a Maoist attack in the constituency.

"Polling will go on as per schedule," election commission officials said quoting state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Subrat Sahu.

In his report to the poll panel, Sahu said he has "taken an immediate video conference of collectors and SPs (superintendents of police) of the affected districts covering Phase 1 and phase 2 in Chhattisgarh".

The BJP had won all the five seats going to polls on 11 April, seats in 2014. Prominent candidates from the Congress include Pritam Singh (Tehri), former CM Harish Rawat (Nainital) and senior BJP leader BC Khanduri's son Manish Khanduri from Pauri.

Interesting contests are expected in Tehri, where BJP has pitted twice MP Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah against Pritam Singh, and in Nanital where its senior leader Ajay Bhatt, who is making his poll debut, is pitted against Harish Rawat.