Indian elections live: Estimated voter turnout for 4th phase is 50.6%

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Indian elections live: Estimated voter turnout for 4th phase is 50.6%

New Delhi - The last phase of voting is on May 19, with results released four days later.

By Web Report

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Published: Mon 29 Apr 2019, 6:26 AM

Last updated: Mon 29 Apr 2019, 6:31 PM

Police broke up clashes between rival groups of voters in a key eastern state on Monday as some of India's richest families and Bollywood stars also cast their ballots in Mumbai during the fourth phase of a massive, staggered general election.
In West Bengal, a populous eastern state crucial for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's re-election bid, supporters of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed with others from the regional Trinamool Congress, police said.
TV footage showed armed security forces chasing away people wielding sticks, although it was initially difficult to determine the scale of the clashes.
There were no immediate reports of any poll-related injuries in West Bengal, where at least one person was killed and three injured during the third phase of voting last week.
The BJP is in a direct, and sometimes bloody, fight in West Bengal with Trinamool, whose chief Mamata Banerjee is one of Modi's biggest critics and a potential prime ministerial candidate.
More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in this round of the seven-phase election held across 71 seats in nine states. Modi's coalition won more than 75 percent of the seats in the previous election in 2014.
Many of the constituencies are in Uttar Pradesh state in the north and western India's Maharashtra, where the financial capital Mumbai is located. Uttar Pradesh elects the most lawmakers, with Maharashtra next. Both states are ruled by the BJP and its allies.
However, political analysts say the BJP may struggle to repeat its strong showing this time due mainly to a jobs shortage and weak farm prices, issues upon which the main opposition Congress party has seized.

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Turnout in Rajasthan is in BJP's favour: Rathore
Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Monday expressed confidence that all the crowd queuing up outside various polling stations in Rajasthan is in favour of the BJP.
"Definitely this shows the mood of the people, who want to bring back Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. This will go in BJP's favour," the Sports Minister said while campaigning in Jaipur rural, where he is pitted against fellow Olympian Krishna Poonia of Congress. Jaipur rural will vote on May 6.
2:45pm
Violence overshadows phase four of Bengal polls
A Union Minister was attacked, Central forces fired in the air after Trinamool Congress backed villagers vandalised a booth, while there were reports of clashes, intimidation and booth capturing as violence overshadowed all other developments in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Monday.
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Asansol, Babul Supriyo's car was vandalised allegedly by stone pelting Trinamool Congress supporters, but the Minister escaped unharmed with only the rear glass of the vehicle being damaged.
Trouble erupted at Asansol's Barabani after Supriyo went inside a polling booth to ensure his party agents were allowed inside.
"They are trying to stop me. But they won't be able to stop me like this. I will move to ensure that BJP agents are allowed," Supriyo said before leaving the area.
"These men are attacking my car and saying I am resorting to hooliganism. It is a ploy to confine me at a place but I will move," he said. The BJP leader also alleged that his polling agents were not being allowed entry.
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Voting stalled in Bengal booth following violence
Voting was stalled after villagers vandalised a polling booth in West Bengal's Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency. The incident took place in Poduma under the the Dubrajpur Assembly segment.
The villagers clashed with the security forces following a dispute over depositing mobile phones, officials said. To bring the situation under control, the security personnel fired in the air.
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Jitin Prasada's sister find her vote is already cast
Former union Minister Jitin Prasada said on Monday that his sister was unable to vote because her vote had already been cast by the time she reached the polling booth in the Dhaurhara Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.
"When my sister went to the polling booth, she found her name had been ticked and the presiding officer told her that vote had been cast. This is how fake voting is taking place," he said.
He said that he would take up the matter with the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, the District Magistrate and Returning Officer Amrit Tripathi said her name was ticked due to the fault of a polling employee. He said Prasada's sister would be allowed to vote if she came to the polling centre again.
11:40am
Rajasthan records nearly 30% polling
Despite rising temperatures and EVM glitches, Rajasthan on Monday polled 29.40 per cent votes in four hours as 13 of its 25 Lok Sabha seats entered the fray in the fourth phase of the staggered process.
While Barmer polled the highest with 33.53 per cent till 11 a.m., Tonk in Sawai Madhopur polled the lowest with 26.15 per cent.  Earlier there were reported incidents of EVM glitches in Pali, Devli in Tonk, Bhinai in Ajmer and Chohtan in Barmer district.
11:30am
Voting picks pace in UP, 21% polling recorded
Voting in Uttar Pradesh picked up pace as 21.18 per cent voting was recorded in the first four hours of polling till 11 am, officials said.
Shahjahanpur recorded 21.66 per cent voter turnout, Kheri 23.52 per cent, Hardoi 21.01 per cent, Misrikh 21.37 per cent, Unnao 21.23 per cent, Kanpur 19.88 per cent, Farrukhabad 21.68 per cent, Etawah 19.13 per cent, Kannauj 18.31 per cent, Akbarpur 19.62 per cent, Jalaun 18.84 per cent, Jhansi 25.33 per cent and Hamirpur 23.31 per cent.
Technical glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) reportedly delayed the balloting process in four polling booths in Kannauj's Chhibramau area. EVM malfunctioning stopped voting in Hamirpur.
11:25am
18.39% voting in Maharashtra
Maharashtra voting picked up with a turnout of a modest 18.39 per cent till 11am on Monday, an Election Commission official said.
The tribal areas of Nandurbar (ST) constituency notched the highest -- 24.59 per cent, while Kalyan in Thane district lagged as the lowest at 13.91 per cent.??All other constituencies recorded roughly between 15-17 per cent voting.
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Voting was delayed for over two hours at two polling booths of Kannauj parliamentary constituency due to an alleged glitch in Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). 
Booth number 35 and 435 of Chhibramau area in Kannauj witnessed long queues of people waiting at the polling station, awaiting the start of the polling process. Voters in the queue alleged that the not a single vote could be casted at the booth since the morning. 

"It hasn't been working since the polling started at 7 am. Not even one vote has been cast here. Voting has not started because of a glitch in EVM," one of the voters waiting in queue claimed. 
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Adityanath, Akhilesh urge people to vote
Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday urged the people to cast their ballots.
"For a prosperous and powerful India, for a strong and decision-making government, to fulfil a dream, make sure you go out of your home and vote. Hope you remember, first vote and then refreshment.
The mercury during summer is high, take care of yourself, but do vote. The government is formed by every one vote," Adityanath said in a series of tweets.
Yadav appealed to the people to vote for a 'mahaparivartan' (great transformation), saying their ballots will prove decisive for the future.
"For a 'mahaparivartan' and to save democracy, unite and exercise your right to fulfil your civilian rights. Today's elections will prove decisive for tomorrow," he tweeted in Hindi.
7:50am
Sakshi Maharaj, Salman Khurshid cast their votes
BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj, who is re-contesting from Unnao parliamentary constituency on Monday exercised his right and said that when the results will be announced the opposition will again blame the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The godman, who is pitted against Congress's Anu Tandon and Samajwadi Party's Arun Kumar Shukla cast his vote at a Unnao polling booth and said, "Anu Tandon is going to lose even her deposit. No one stands a chance against me here."

He also said: "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get more than 400 seats then these people will again raise questions on the functioning of EVMs."

Congress candidate from Farrukhabad and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid also cast his vote in his constituency.

"The fight in my constituency is between the BJP and the Congress. I'm expecting a positive outcome, given (Congress President) Rahul Gandhi and (General Secretary) Priyanka Gandhi have come out all guns blazing."

It was the peope who gave huge mandate to Modi in 2014, he said, adding "He (Modi) has not won on his own."
7:40am
Modi urges people to vote
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the voters to cast their ballots and break polling records of the previous three phases in this fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
"Another phase of the general elections begins today. I hope those voting today do so in large numbers and break the voting records of the previous three phases. A special appeal to young voters to head to the polling booth and exercise their franchise," Modi said in a tweet.
7:10am
Polling starts for 17 seats in Maharashtra
Polling started on a peaceful note in 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra for the fourth and final phase of 2019 parliamentary elections, officials said here on Monday.

As many as 3,11,92,823 voters, including 1418 transgenders, are eligible to exercise their franchise for which the Election Commission of India has set up a total 33,314 polling stations in these constituencies, deployed 68,018 balloting units, 39,977 control units and 43,309 VVPAT-EVMs.
Mumbai, which has six seats, is India's wealthiest city but ageing and insufficient infrastructure is a major concern. Six people were killed last month when part of a pedestrian bridge collapsed, bringing back memories of a 2017 rush-hour stampede that killed at least 22 people on a narrow pedestrian bridge.
 Mumbai is home to the massive Hindi film industry, as well as Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, and India's richest banker, Uday Kotak.



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