Indian elections 2019 live: Voting underway in 5th phase, BJP alleges booth capturing in Amethi

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Indian elections 2019 live: Voting underway in 5th phase, BJP alleges booth capturing in Amethi

New Delhi - The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and would conclude on May 19.

By Web Report

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Published: Mon 6 May 2019, 6:47 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 May 2019, 6:32 PM

Union Minister Smriti Irani accused her opponent Congress president Rahul Gandhi of "booth-capturing" as the polling is underway at Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in the fifth phase on Monday.
Irani is the BJP candidate in Amethi and is contesting against Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The two are locked in a fierce battle. Gandhi is seeking a re-election from Amethi against Irani, who lost the 2014 polls by just over a lakh votes.
More than 12 per cent voting was recorded in the fifth phase of polling across 51 constituencies in seven states till 9 am, the Voter Turnout App data of the Election Commission (EC) showed.
The separatists have called for a boycott of the vote in Kashmir and protesters threw stones at polling stations and at least one person was shot and wounded when police opened fire, police said.
Militants also threw a grenade and a petrol bomb at polling stations but there were no injuries.
West Bengal recorded the highest with 14.85 per cent followed by Jharkhand (13.46 per cent), Rajasthan (13.37 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (11.79 per cent), Bihar (11.51 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (9.82 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (0.80 per cent). 

Voting began at 7am across the 51 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over the seven states, largely in the Hindi heartland, in the fifth of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise.

A total electorate of over 8.75 crore is eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase which covers the remaining 12 constituencies in Rajasthan; 14 in Uttar Pradesh, including the high-profile Amethi, Rae Bareli and Lucknow seats; five in Bihar; seven each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh; four in Jharkhand; and two in Jammu and Kashmir, including Anantnag, where the third and final phase of polling is underway.

In the 2014 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 39 of these 51 seats -- all 12 in Rajasthan, 12 of 14 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Madhya Pradesh, three of five in Bihar, all four in Jharkhand and one of two in Jammu and Kashmir.

Among the 674 candidates in this phase, prominent ones include Congress President Rahul Gandhi from his traditional Amethi constituency where he faces Union Minister Smriti Irani, his mother and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi from neighbouring Rae Bareli, and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who faces actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha's wife Poonam Sinha (Samajwadi Party) in Lucknow.

Also contesting are Union Ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore - who faces fellow Olympian Krishna Poonia in Jaipur (Rural) - and Jayant Sinha (Hazaribagh), former Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) in Barrackpore, and actress-turned-BJP leader Locket Chatterjee in Hooghly.

Latest updates:  
2:30pm

2:00pm
Around 35.43 per cent voting was recorded in Uttar Pradesh till 1 p.m. on Monday in 14 parliamentary constituencies where polling in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections is underway.
Dhaurhara recorded 38.63 per cent voter turnout, Sitapur 38.40, Mohanlalganj 37.38, Lucknow 33.14, Rae Bareli 32.60, Amethi 33.94, Banda 40.39, Fatehpur 33.17, Kaushambi 32.57, Barabanki 32.57, Faizabad 35.17, Bahraich 35.60, Kaiserganj 34.84 and Gonda 34.77.
11:45am
People share their views after casting votes in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.
Around 450,000 Muslims don't trust the BSP-SP alliance and won't vote for BJP either.
11:12am
25% turnout has been reported in the constituency in Amethi.
9:30am
10:25am
Mayawati hints at her PM ambition
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati has indicated that if she gets a chance to become the Prime Minister, she will contest the Lok Sabha election from Ambedkar Nagar.
"If all goes well, I may have to seek election form here because the road to national politics passes through Ambedkar Nagar," she said.
9:25am
Smriti Irani alleges booth capture in Amethi
Union Minister Smriti Irani tweeted a video of a woman who claimed that she was made to vote for the Congress. The woman said that one of the officials forcibly put her finger on the Congress button.
"Alert @ECISVEEP Congress President @RahulGandhi ensuring booth capturing," her tweet said. She told reporters that Rahul Gandhi was now resorting to stealing votes.
"They said that 'chowkidar chor hai', but they are the ones who are stealing votes. Rahul Gandhi will have to answer for such acts and the administration must look into the matter," she said.
9:15am
8:40am
Mayawati votes in Lucknow, urges to vote wisely
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Monday voted in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections here in Uttar Pradesh, and urged the people to vote wisely.
"Women should come out of their homes and vote. Your vote is precious," she said.
8:15am
7:40am
Rajnath votes in Lucknow, says voters will decide
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is again the Lucknow BJP candidate cast his vote at polling booth 333 in Scholars' Home School, along side his wife Savitri and son Pankaj.
Speaking to reporters immediately after, Singh said: "I leave everything on the voters here." He is pitted against SP-BSP star candidate Poonam Sinha, wife of former BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, and Congress candidate Acharya Pramod Krishnam "Today is the polling for 51 Lok Sabha seats including Lucknow... I urge all the voters to cast their valuable votes with great enthusiasm and vote in large numbers," Singh tweeted earlier.
6:40am
6:35am
6:20am



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