Poll of Exit polls predicts thumping win for BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra | LIVE UPDATES

Five persons including two women were killed on Monday when the car in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in Chamoli district. The accident occurred late in the evening near Pokhri on Karnaprayag-Kujasu motor road, District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said.

All occupants were killed on the spot, he said. Rescue teams have reached the scene of the accident, the official said. The deceased were identified as Hema Devi (32), Bindu Devi (30), Surendra Singh (72), Nandan Singh (80) and Sohan Singh (42)-- all residents of Kujasu village. 

A teacher, Sarjerao Bhosale died due to a heart attack, while performing her election duties, in Karvir assembly constituency in Kolhapur.

President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind visited Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Tokyo today. The President planted a bodhi sapling there, that he carried from India.

President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind visited Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Tokyo today. The President planted a bodhi sapling there, that he carried from India.

The Sudarshan Chakra Corps of the Indian Army held a firing exercise 'Sindhu Sudarshan', today in Jaisalmer. Around 40,000 jawans participated in the exercise which will continue till 5th December.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, "No one can remove citizens from their own states. Bengal does not need NRC and it will surely not be implemented here. I believe in all religions and no citizen will have to leave their place, whether they are Bengali or from any other religion."

"It is our democratic right to live in our nation when we are casting our votes here. Bengal is a place of peace and the NRC will destroy that peace, I strongly oppose this. Our government was with you, and will be with you forever," she added. 

A Telangana court on Monday sentenced a man to 12-years rigorous imprisonment for raping a 4-year-old girl in January this year. The First Additional District Judge Court at Nalgonda found the 54-year-old man guilty under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Defence Ministry clears Army project for acquiring third generation anti tank guided missiles from private sector industry under 'Make in India' initiative.

7.590 kg of heroin was seized from the possession of two people in Amritsar Rural today. Mobile phones were also seized from them. The two have been arrested, further investigation is underway.

The News18 exit poll predicts 75 seats for BJP and 10 seats for Congress in Haryana. The Haryana Assembly has a total of 90 seats.

Election Commission of India said that 60.5% voters turned up in Maharashtra till 6 pm. The commission said that voting was going on at some places and that the voter turnout figures are likely to rise.

The Times Now exit poll predicts 71 seats for BJP and 11 seats for Congress. The Haryana Assembly has a total of 90 seats. 

In what is the biggest seat projection for BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra the News18 exit poll, has given them 243 seats. The News18 IPSOS exit poll has given just 41 seats to Congress-NCP alliance. 

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra is set for a thumping majority in 288-member Maharashtra assembly. The ABP exit poll predicts 204 seats for BJP+ in Maharashtra. The Congress-NCP alliance is set to get 69 seats according to ABP exit polls. 

India Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted 188 seats for BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. There are a total of 288 assembly seats in the state. The Congress-NCP alliance limited to 70-90 seats, India Today exit poll has predicted.

According to Times Now exit polls, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliances settle with 230 and the Congress-NCP settles with 48. The exit poll predicts a thumping victory for BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. 

Supreme Court to pronounce its judgement tomorrow on a plea of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram against the order of the Delhi High Court that dismissed his bail plea in the INX Media case.

Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said: "I'm happy that the agreement is being signed on October 23. I feel Pakistan should rethink this US 20$ fee (for Kartarpur Gurdwara visit). Because the god belongs to the poor as well not just the rich."

"It will cost around Rs 6000-7000 to four people, and that's just the fees, then there is travel expense, staying expense and other things. A daily wage worker then won't be able to afford it," he added. 

According to ECI, the estimated voter turnout in Haryana and Maharashtra is 61.62 per cent and 55.35 per cent respectively till 6 PM.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court, challenging Triple Talaq Act, criminalising the act of 'talaq-e-biddat'. The petition was filed, on their behalf, by MR Shamshad, Advocate on Record (AOR) and Supreme Court lawyer.

Bypolls for 51 assembly seats across the country are being held along with Legislative Assembly Polls in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Here is the estimated voter turnout by 5 pm

Arunachal Pradesh: 89.27%

Assam: 66.30%

Bihar: 41.82%

Gujarat: 40.28%

Himachal Pradesh: 55.32%

Kerala: 58.04%

Madhya Pradesh: 56.62%

Meghalaya: 64.13%

Odisha: 56.50%

Punjab: 54.80%

Rajasthan: 52.67%

Sikkim: 62%

Tamil Nadu: 58.51%

Uttar Pradesh: 39.93%

Chhattisgarh: 64.14%

Telangana: 69.95%

Puducherry: 56.16%

According to the numbers released by Election Commission of India, estimated voter turnout in Haryana was 53.04% by 5 pm, while that in Maharashtra was 44.32%

BJP national working president JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries tomorrow at BJP headquarters over Maharashtra Assembly Polls and Haryana Assembly Polls. Discussions regarding party functions on birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, on October 31, will also be taken up.

Salman Khan cast vote at a polling vote in Bandra (West), Mumbai.

According to the numbers released by the Election Commission of India, 43.84% voters in Maharashtra have voted by 4 pm while 50.83% voters in Haryana have exercised their right to vote. The voting is going on.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "India shares cordial relations with China. There are perceptional differences between both the countries on boundary issue but the issue has been handled with great maturity and responsibly. Both the countries have not allowed the situation to escalate or go out of hand".

Pakistan violated ceasefire in Qasba and Kirni sectors in Poonch at about 3:45 pm today.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Delighted to dedicate to nation the newly constructed ‘Colonel Chewang Rinchen Bridge’ at Shyok River, Ladakh. It will not only provide all weather connectivity in the region but also be a strategic asset in border areas."

"Siachen area is now open for tourists and Tourism. From Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post, entire area has been opened for Tourism purposes."

Union Min Piyush Goyal at US-India Strategic Partnership Forum's 2nd Annual India Leadership Summit, said: "Every interest of domestic industry has to be protected before we execute any free trade agreement. Our national interest is protected first before any agreement is entered into."

The Ministry of External Affairs said: "In view of the long pending demand of pilgrims to have visa-free access to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib and  in the interest of operationalisation of Kartarpur Corridor in time before Nov 12, Govt conveys that we would be ready to sign Agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on October 23."

"While agreeing to sign the Agreement, the Government of Pakistan has been once again urged to reconsider its insistence to levy service fee of $20 on pilgrims. India would be ready to amend the Agreement accordingly at any time," they added.

Harsh Singh, a 106-year-old man casts his vote for the by-election in Balha Constituency.

Haji Ibrahim Aleem Joad, a 102-year-old man cast vote along with his family at a polling booth in Lohegaon. He said," I was admitted to hospital for 4 days but today I'm here to cast my vote. I urge everyone to come forward and vote."

According to ECI, the estimated voter turnout in Maharashtra Assembly polls is 43.65 per cent till 3 pm.  

According to ECI, the estimated voter turnout in Haryana assembly polls is 50.25 per cent till 3 pm. 

35 per cent poll percentage recorded in Mumbai City district till 3 pm.

BJP MP from Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol cast his vote at a polling booth in Juhu, Mumbai.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "For the last two months, Pakistan has stopped postal service from India. It's directly in contravention of the World Postal Union's norms."

A Delhi Court takes cognizance on CBI charge sheet filed in INX media case. Congress leader P Chidambaram to be produced before the court on 24th October.

Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri cast their votes at polling booth number 177 in Bandra West, Mumbai.

In a bid to make the polling process convenient for women voters, temporary creches for their children have seen set up for the first time in some
Assembly segments of Maharashtra, an official said on Monday. Since many women voters have no option but to carry their children along with them to the polling booths, the Election Commission came up with this initiative, the EC official said.

"The experiment was carried out for the first time during the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year and now the EC has replicated the same concept in the Maharashtra polls," he said.

As voting for the Assembly polls progressed across Maharashtra on Monday, reports of scuffles came in from Beed and Jalna districts, officials said late afternoon. In Beed's Balepeer are, supporters of Shiv Sena candidate Jaydatt Kshirsagar and NCP candidate Sandeep Kshirsagar had an altercation over allegations of vehicles being used to ferry voters to polling booths, an official said.

The area was tense for a while before police, as well as the two candidates, defused the situation, he added. In Jalna's Jamkhed area, over 400 kilometres from here, two groups owing allegiance to local leaders clashed before being separated by police, an official said. 

There was some issue in an electronic voting machine (EVM) at polling booth number 62 of Worli Assembly constituency but the machine has been replaced and voting is going on, says Sushma Satpute, Election Commission officer at Worli.

A woman was injured as clash took place between two groups outside a polling booth in Malaaka village in Nuh district in Haryana's Mewat region on Monday, a senior police official said. A senior police official said that some argument broke out between a present Sarpanch and former Sarpanch after which some of their supporters accompanying them clashed.

Stones were also hurled during which one woman was injured, Nuh's Superintendent of Police, Sangeeta Kalia said over phone.

"However, the polling process was not hampered and the situation was peaceful now," the SP told PTI.

The village where the clash took place falls in Ferozepur Jhirka assembly constituency in Nuh, she said, adding some old enmity between the two groups was stated to be the reason behind the clash.

A woman was taken into custody on Monday after the presiding officer at a polling station in Kerala's Manjeswaram Assembly constituency raised a complaint of bogus voting against her. The woman Nabeesa was not a voter in the constituency, according to poll officials. After the presiding officer at Bakrabayal polling station was suspicious of Nabeesa, he immediately registered a complaint and the police took her into custody.

At Manjeswaram a tough battle between the Indian Union Muslim League of the Congress-led UDF and the BJP is on.

In 2016 the IUML candidate scrapped through by a margin of 89 votes against the BJP.

Its candidate Abdul Razack passed away last year and hence the bypoll was necessitated.

A scuffle broke out between supporters of the BJP and an independent candidate over allegations of electoral malpractices at a polling booth in Arjun Nagar here on Monday. At around 1 p.m., the supporters of BJP candidate Sudhir Singla and independent candidate Mohit Madan Lal Grover clashed at the polling booth.

Grover's supporters accused the BJP supporters of bogus voting.

Similarly, another scuffle between supporters of BJP candidate Manish Yadav and independent candidate Rakesh Daulatabad was reported at Badshahpur.

Likewise, a minor altercation between supporters of BJP candidate Sanjay Singh and JJP candidate Rohtash Khaana was reported from Rethoj village in Sohna constituency.

A total of 53 candidates are contesting in four Assembly constituencies in Gurugram district and a total of 12 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their voting rights on Monday.

Thirty-seven per cent of over 1.83 crore voters in Haryana turned out by 2 p.m. on Monday to elect 90 members of the Assembly amidst minor skirmishes and snags in electronic voting machines (EVMs), officials said. "The voter turnout was 37 per cent till 2 p.m.," an electoral official told IANS. The polling started at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m.

Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal said the polling remained peaceful.

"Minor technical snags were reported in EVMs at 15 places in the state and teams were rushed to rectify the faults," he told the media in his noon briefing in Chandigarh.

He said minor scuffles among supporters of different political parties were also reported from Dabwali in Sirsa and Nuh in Mewat, but the situation was under control.

Deepika Padukone after casting her vote at a polling booth in Bandra (West), Mumbai.

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar after casting their vote at a polling booth in Mumbai.

Nearly 40 per cent of the 82,137 voters exercised their franchise for by-elections to two Assembly seats in the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh by 1 p.m. The by-elections to Dharamsala and Pachhad seats were necessitated as Kishan Kapoor and Suresh Kashyap resigned their Assembly seats as they were elected to the Lok Sabha.

In the Dharamsala and Pachhad seats, the polling percentage was 37.32 and 43.58 per cent, respectively.

Greenhorns Reena Kashyap and Vishal Nehria are the BJP candidates from Pachhad and Dharamsala seats, respectively.

Hindutva hardliner Sadhvi Prachi has demanded security cover for herself citing threat to her life following the killing of right-wing leader Kamlesh Tiwari in Lucknow on Friday. Prachi told reporters on Sunday that she has been receiving threat calls from Muslim fundamentalist organisations for the last ten years and that she has apprised Home Minister Amit Shah of her increased sense of insecurity and need for a security cover. 

The leader said she perceives a clear threat to her life after the killing of Kamlesh Tiwari as Muslim clerics had announced a reward of Rs 51 lakh on her head too while issuing a fatwa against Tiwari. 

After the gruesome killing of Tiwari, it has become clear that she can be targeted anytime by "conspiratorial forces", she said in Haridwar.

Prachi claimed that she had also received a threat from terrorist organisation ISIS  in 2016.

Union Minister Smriti Irani talks to an elderly voter outside a polling booth in Mumbai. Watch Video

After five hours of polling, the voter turnout in the rain-hit five assembly by-elections in Kerala on Monday touched 30 per cent as the Congress and BJP put up a brave face with the CPI-M looking confident of a good show. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts the showers to continue throughout the day. The worst affected was Ernakulam assembly constituency where voting at 12 noon touched a mere 20.80 per cent.

The other constituencies affected by rains are Vatiyoorkavu (voting 30.03 per cent), Aroor (35.65 per cent) and Konni (35.07 per cent).

At Ernakulam, CPI-M district secretary C. Mohanan said that he feels there is no need for deferring the polls on account of rain, as it has affected only a few polling stations and that people are coming out to vote.

Polling for the bypolls to 11 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh started to pick up with over 28 per cent voters exercising their franchise till 1pm.
Polling, which began at 7 am amid tight security, will continue till to 6 pm, officials said. The election office said the polling, which started on a slow pace, gradually picked up with 28.98 per cent voters casting their votes till 1 pm.

Voters are expected to come out in large numbers later in the day, they said.\

While Gangoh in Saharanpur saw the highest turn out of 41.70 per cent, the Lucknow Cant seat witnessed only 16.10 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm.
Polling was going on peacefully and there was no report of any untoward incident, they said.

Polling was held up for a couple of hours after the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) developed a snag on booth number 350 at Salhipur, a report from Pratapgarh said.

District Information Officer Vijay Kumar said the EVM was replaced and the voting has since started.

Actors Anil Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, leave after casting their vote at a polling booth in Andheri (West). 

DMK MLA from Thirupurunkundram assembly constituency, P Saravanan has approached CBI DIG Durai Kumar alleging 'fake thumb impression of late former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa in election affidavit'.

TDP leader and former Andhra Pradesh Minister Adinarayana Reddy joins BJP in the presence of BJP working president JP Nadda.

The government's plan to revive BSNL should be in public domain within a month, the chairman of the troubled telecom firm said on Monday. BSNL Chairman and Managing Director PK Purwar also said that the salary of all employees will be paid before Diwali.

"BSNL has inner strength on the basis of which it is adding new customers. We are a Rs 20,000 crore plus revenue generating organization. We are passing through turbulent phase which we expect to overcome in a couple of months," Purwar said while responding to a query on the survival of the company in wake of delay of government decision to revive the PSU.

He later said that "two month is a long time, it (revival plan) should be in public domain within a month."

BSNL on Monday announced a partnership with Yupp TV.

Brisk polling has been recorded in 15 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency in the eastern region, by-elections to which are being held on Monday. The Assembly by-elections are in progress in five seats of Bihar, four in Assam, three in Sikkim, one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Meghalaya respectively. Samastipur (SC) Lok Sabha seat is also witnessing a bypoll.

No untoward incident has been reported from anywhere in the region. Four Assembly constituencies in Assam recorded 50.46 per cent voting while Bijepur Assembly seat in Odisha witnessed 37.1 per cent polling till 1 PM, election officials said.

Overall voter turnout in Maharashtra and Haryana till 12 PM. 

Taking a dig at the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday described the BJP's candidate from Haryana's Assandh as the "most honest man" in the ruling party after a video went viral in which he is purportedly heard saying no matter which button is pressed on the EVM, the vote would go to the BJP. Gandhi posted the video in which sitting MLA Bakshish Singh Virk purportedly makes the remarks. Virk has dubbed it as a "fake video" and alleged that it was a conspiracy by his opponents to defame him and his party.

"The most honest man in the BJP," the former Congress president tweeted along with the video.

After the video went viral, the Election Commission on Sunday issued a show-cause notice to the BJP leader and appointed a special observer to the constituency to take "corrective action".

It said former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi is being sent to Assandh constituency in Karnal "in light of the video circulating in social media".

In the video, Virk also purportedly tells a small gathering of his supporters, ”We will come to know who has voted for whom, there should be no misconception about this....”

There are three issues, which will determine which way the electorate will vote in the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections.

1. Article 370: Like in Haryana, the BJP has turned the Maharashtra Assembly election into a referendum on its national security agenda with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah in rally after rally reminding people of Article 370, that accorded a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and how the BJP government at the Centre abrogated it.

At one rally, Modi lamented how even Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar toed the Congress line on the issue. While addressing a rally in Chandrapur, Shah dared, "I am throwing a direct challenge to Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir after coming to power." The response of those attending the rallies made Pawar do a rethink on his strategy and the 79-year-old leader was forced to say that there is no need to talk about bringing back Article 370.

2. Agrarian Crisis: Despite all efforts by the BJP, the agrarian crisis continues to remain in the spotlight in Maharashtra. Information received under a recent RTI query shows that while 12,021 farmers committed suicide in the state between 2015 and 2018, an astounding 396 farmers killed themselves this year between January and February alone. Amravati, Aurangabad, Nashik, Nagpur and Pune -- remain the hotbed of farmer suicides, a direct result of the agrarian crisis that the state is in the grip of, with Amravati recording 144 suicides so far. The reason why the issue doesn't cease to be an electoral issue in these 5 places, even though the Congress failed to rake it up successfully.

3. Unemployment: This will certainly be a determining factor for many as they go out to vote with the economic slowdown resulting in overwhelming job loss in the country. Unemployment has been a silent but raging electoral issue in Maharashtra Assembly elections, but unlike Haryana, where it was only talked about in terms of Maruti's performance at its Manesar plant. 

Congress workers along with Road Transport Corporation (RTC) employees detained at Pragati Bhawan in Hyderabad, while they were protesting against the death of a driver of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, who had set himself ablaze in Khammam on Oct 12. 

Actor and BJP MP Hema Malini casts her vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Andheri (West).

Maharashtra has recorded a moderate average of around 17.5 per cent turnout till 12 am, for the assembly elections to the 288 Assembly seats on Monday. As in the past, the tribal areas in different parts of the state like Thane, Palghar, Chandrapur and Nandurbar recorded more than 20 per cent voter turnout in the festival of democracy, but most other parts of the state, especially the urban and semi-urban areas, the percentage was between 10-20 or less.

The suicide-prone Yavatmal recorded 9.25 while the rural Wardha notched 8.37 per cent, the SC reserved Bhusawal recorded. 9.88 per cent, falling among the 13-odd constituencies with a single-digit percentage vote cast - less than 10 per cent.

The state capital Mumbai notched around 17 per cent while the second capital Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' hometown Nagpur was hovering at 16.5 per cent.

Actor Govinda and wife Sunita cast their vote at a polling booth in Andheri (West). Watch Video

Union Minister Smriti Irani after casting her vote at a polling booth in Mumbai.

Uttar Pradesh police have declared a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh each for the arrest of two suspects who were allegedly involved in the killing of Hindu outfit leader Kamlesh Tewari. During the investigation, it had come to light that the two had come to a hotel on October 17 and identified themselves as Sheikh Ashfaqul Hussain and Muinuddin Pathan. On the day of the murder, both of them moved out of the hotel, wearing a saffron kurta, and there was a box of sweets in their hand.

Director-General of Police OP Singh has announced a reward of Rs 2.50 lakh each for apprehending the two suspects, a senior government official said.

The president of a little known Hindu Samaj Party, Kamlesh Tewari (45), was found murdered at his home in the congested Naka Hindola area of the city here on Friday.

Police had also recovered a saffron-coloured kurta with bloodstains lying on the bed in their hotel room. The towel also had bloodstains. A box of new mobile phone was also found from the spot.

An SIT has already been constituted to crack the case. Five persons, including three from Gujarat, were taken into custody in connection with the case.

Twenty-four per cent voting was registered on Monday in the by-elections to the four Assembly seats in the Congress-ruled Punjab. "The election to the four Assembly constituencies is going on peacefully. The poll percentage was 24 per cent till 12 noon," an electoral officer said. The Jalalabad seat saw the highest poll percentage of 29 per cent.

Electors in the four constituencies could be seen reaching polling stations even before the voting started at 7 a.m. The main contest is between the Congress and the Akali Dal-BJP alliance.

Besides, the AAP, the BSP and the Lok Insaaf Party have also fielded their candidates. Nearly 7.68 lakh voters in all four assembly segments will decide the fate of 33 candidates.

Adinarayana Reddy, a three-time MLA and a former Minister in the former Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh, on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was welcomed into the BJP by the party's National General Secretary Arun Singh. Soon after joining the saffron party, Reddy said that he was deeply influenced by the policy decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Reddy had resigned from TDP's primary membership on September 12. There were strong rumours of him joining the ruling YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh.

Once considered close to Naidu, Reddy has won thrice from the Jammaladugu constituency of Kodappa district.

Some 26.97 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Mandava and 25.04 per cent in Khinvsar Assembly constituencies of Rajasthan till 11.30 a.m. on Monday, confirmed Election Commission officials. The voting started at 7 a.m. in 525 voting centres in the two constituencies and will continue till 6 p.m. In Mandava, Congress' Reeta Chaudhary has been fielded against BJP's Sushila Seegda, while in Khinvsar Congress' Harendra Mirdha is facing Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) candidate Narayan Beniwal, who is the brother of RLP MP Hanuman Beniwal.

The RLP had made an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha as well as the Assembly bypolls.

The results shall be declared on October 24. 

Heavy rains affected voting in Ernakulam Assembly constituency in the initial hours as voters waded through water-logged roads to exercise their
franchise on Monday, while in the four other constituencies where by-elections are being held, polling went off smoothly. Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena told reporters here that as of now, there was no situation that warrants postponing the by-poll in Ernakulam.

Though water entered some polling booths, all arrangements have been made to conduct polling smoothly, he said adding 10 water-logged booths on the ground floor in Ernakulam had been shifted to the first floor.
 

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, his wife Anjali Tendulkar and son Arjun cast early vote in Mumbai. Talking to media persons, Tendulkar urged one and all to come out and vote in democracy's biggest festival. Polling for Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019 is underway. At the time of writing of this report, a total of around 20 per cent votes were cast so far in the state.

Bollywood stars, including Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta, Riteish Deshmukh, his wife Genelia D'Souza, actress Padmini Kolhapuri have also cast their vote. 

In top politicians, Devendra Fadnavis, Aaditya Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray have already cast their vote. 

Watch Sachin Tendulkar and family cast vote in Mumbai

Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar casts his vote in Mumbai, says, "I request everyone to come out and vote in large numbers, this is a celebration of democracy."

Actor Govinda and wife Sunita cast their votes at a polling booth in Andheri (West). 

More than 30 per cent voting was recorded in the first four hours of the by-election to Huzurnagar Assembly constituency in Telangana on Monday amid tight security, officials said. According to Election Commission officials, the polling was progressing peacefully and 31.34 per cent voters exercised their franchise by 11 a.m.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 5 p.m. in 302 polling stations in the constituency in Suryapet district.

A total of 2,36,842 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypoll, the first since Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) retained power in the state in December 2018.

Three motorcycle-borne masked men fired at a candidate of pro-farmer outfit Swabhimani Paksha on Monday when he was going in a car and also beat him up after pulling him out of the vehicle in Maharashtra's Amravati district, police said. The attackers later set the car ablaze, Shendurjana
Ghat police station's inspector Maruti Gedam said.

The incident took place on Malkhed road in Amravati, located around 150 km from here, he said. Devendra Bhuyar, the nominee of Raju Shetti's
Swabhimani Paksha from Morshi seat was going to Warud in a car along with some workers of the outfit when the three masked persons fired at him around 5.30 am, Gedam said.

The attackers later forcefully stopped the vehicle, pulled out its occupants and thrashed them, he said.

They then poured petrol on Bhuyar's vehicle and set it afire before running away, the official said. Bhuyar was taken to a hospital where his condition was reported to be normal, he said.

Bhuyar, whose outfit is an ally of the Congress and NCP, is contesting the state Assembly polls against BJP minister Anil Bonde from Morshi seat.

Maharashtra records 16.34 per cent voting till 12 pm. 

Haryana records 23.12 per cent voting till 12 noon.

Assuring former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah of standing by him during "difficult times", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee on Monday extended birthday wishes to the National Conference patron. She urged Abdullah to stay positive and prayed for his good health.

"Birthday wishes to Farooq Abdullah Ji. These are difficult times for you. We stand by you. Please stay positive. We pray for your good health @OmarAbdullah," Banerjee tweeted.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday shared on Twitter a viral video in which Bakhshish Singh Virk, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Assandh constituency in Haryana, is seen claiming that no matter which button is pressed on the electronic voting machine (EVM), the vote would go to the saffron party. Sharing the video, Rahul Gandhi called Virk "the most honest man in the BJP".

In the 39-second video, Virk is seen saying in Punjabi: "Wherever you vote, we will get to know which person has voted for whom. Don't think we won't know. We deliberately don't tell you, but if we want we can find out who you voted for."

The video, which has been making rounds of the social media for the past several days, has been termed "fake" by Virk, who says it is a conspiracy by his rivals to defame him and his party.

The Election Commission had on Sunday issued a showcause notice to Virk for purportedly making controversial remarks about EVMs.

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar, wife Anjali and their son Arjun cast their votes at a polling booth in Bandra (West).

Three-time MLA and a former Minister in the previous Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh, senior leader Adi Narayana Reddy is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. Reddy was a Minister in the previous Andhra government and was once considered to be a close aide of Naidu.

Reddy, however, had resigned from the primary membership of the TDP on September 12, and there were strong rumours of him joining the ruling YSR Congress. But, the BJP General Secretary Sunil Devghar, who has been camping in the state for the past few months managed to woo Reddy to his party.

Sources in the BJP have said that Reddy has a huge influence in the Assembly seats of the Kadapa region. And with Reddy in the BJP, the party is seeking to improve its position in the area. 

Former Indian Hockey captain and BJP candidate from Pehowa, Sandeep Singh (in orange turban), casts his vote at a polling booth in Kurukshetra. 

Next session of Parliament to be held from November 18 till December 13.

Bijepur assembly bypoll: A 100-year-old woman Lochana Naik today casts her vote in Barpali.

Senior Congress leader and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda casts his vote at a polling booth in Rohtak.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, wife Rashmi and sons Aditya and Tejas after casting their vote in Bandra (East). Aditya Thackeray is a candidate from Worli constituency.

Veteran actor Prem Chopra and Director-lyricist Gulzar leave after casting their votes at a polling booth in Bandra (West).

Wrestler-turned-politician and BJP candidate Babita Phogat on Monday cast her vote in her native village in Bhiwani along with her father Mahavir Phogat and sister Geeta Phogat.

Phogat is among the 12 women candidates fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 90-member assembly elections.

"Development of my constituency and promotion of sports in the state will be the top priorities, if I am getting elected," she told reporters after casting her vote.

Three-time MP and senior Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda has cast his vote in the Haryana Assembly Elections 2019. Speaking on the sidelines, Hooda said, "Article 370 is a national matter but the government is ducking the issue on ground. I have cast my vote against the failure of BJP.

Voter turnout is 8.92% & 5.77% till 10 am in Haryana & Maharashtra, respectively.

Former Home Minister and Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde casts vote at a polling booth in Solapur.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) leader Praful Patel casts vote at a polling booth in Gondia assembly constituency.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)leader Supriya Sule cast her vote in Baramati.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray visits Siddhivinayak temple.

Supporters of senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda dance in Rohtak's Sanghi village, where Hooda is expected to arrive shortly. 

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, wife Amruta and mother Sarita after casting their vote, at a polling booth in Nagpur.

Ritesh Deshmukh, his wife Genelia D'Souza and family cast their votes at a polling booth in Latur.

His brothers Amit Deshmukh and Dhiraj Deshmukh are contesting polls as Congress candidates from Latur city and Latur rural constituencies, respectively.

Actress Madhuri Dixit leaves after casting her vote at a polling booth in Bandra (West). 

Power cut at a polling booth in Pune's Shivaji Nagar; voting underway.

A scuffle and stone pelting between supporters of the Congress and the BJP was reported from Nuh town around 8.45 a.m. on Monday while voting was in full swing for Haryana Assembly elections, an official said.

Muslim-dominated Nuh district in Mewat has three Assembly constituencies -- Nuh, Ferozpur Jhirka and Punhana and about five lakh voters. Nuh has close contest between BJP leader Zakir Hussain and Congress leader Aftab Ahmed. Both have represented the seat in the Haryana Assembly in the past.

Around five per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first hour of polling for by-elections to six Assembly seats in Gujarat on Monday, an official said.

The by-polls are being held in Tharad seat of Banaskantha district, Radhanpur in Patan, Kheralu in Mehsana, Bayad in Arvalli, Amraiwadi in Ahmedabad and Lunawada seat in Mahisagar district.

It was a wet and cloudy Monday morning in parts of Maharashtra where voting for the Assembly polls was underway. Some areas in south Konkan Maharashtra, western and south central parts, and Latur and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada region witnessed drizzle early morning, an official
from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

As voting began at 7 am, Mumbai and its suburbs saw overcast sky after drizzle for the last two days.

Former tennis player Mahesh Bhupati, wife and actor Lara Dutta after casting their vote at a polling booth in Bandra.

Actor Aamir Khan arrives to cast his vote at a polling booth in Bandra(West), says 'I appeal to all citizens of Maharashtra to come out and vote in large numbers'.

Voting for the by-elections to 15 Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat in six states of the eastern region began on Monday amid tight security.
Of the 15 Assembly seats, five are in Bihar followed by four in Assam, three in Sikkim and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Meghalaya.

The lone Lok Sabha seat going to the by-polls is in Bihar.

Assembly Elections 2019: Voter turnout is 8.73% & 5.46% till 9 am in Haryana & Maharashtra, respectively.

Former Home Minister and Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde with wife Ujwala and daughter Praniti Shinde cast their votes at a polling booth in Solapur. Praniti Shinde is contesting elections as Congress candidate from Solapur Central.

Polling for two assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh has begun at 8 am on Monday, a state election official said. The voting started at a slow pace which is likely to pick up during the day. The polling will continue till 6 pm, the official said.

As many as 82,137 and 74,487 voters are eligible to exercise their right to franchise in Dharamshala and Pachhad respectively, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Rupali Thakur said.

A day after NCP leader Dhananjay Munde was booked over his alleged obscene remarks against cousin and Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde, an FIR has been registered against unidentified persons for 'editing' his speech with criminal intent, police said on Monday. The FIR was lodged on Sunday evening following a police complaint filed by local NCP leader Walmik Karad, an official said.

Voting for the by-elections to 15 Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat in six states of the eastern region began on Monday amid
tight security. Of the 15 Assembly seats, five are in Bihar followed by four in Assam, three in Sikkim and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Meghalaya.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar early on Monday travelled by Shatabdi Express from Chandigarh to his hometown Karnal in Haryana to cast his vote. "First vote then refreshment. I am going to cast my vote," Khattar tweeted. "I humbly request all citizens of the state that you too must exercise the franchise by visiting your polling station. Your one vote is crucial to form a strong government," he added.

Sewri (Mumbai): Specially abled voters being brought to polling booths on wheelchair compatible vehicles by Election Commission.

Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala and his family arrive on a tractor, to cast their votes at a polling booth in Sirsa.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) leader Praful Patel and his wife Varsha cast their votes at a polling booth in Gondia assembly constituency.

Gopal Agarwal from BJP and Amar Varade from Congress is contesting from this constituency.

Actress Padmini Kolhapure casts her vote casts vote at Andheri (West) constituency. 

Actor and BJP MP from Gorakhpur (UP) Ravi Kishan casts vote at polling booths in Mumbai's Goregaon.

Voting percentage in Maharashtra districts till 9 am 

Jalgaon - 0.26%
Buldhana - 1.25%
Amravati - 1.21%
Gadchiroli - 5.63%
Yavatmal - 0.88%
Nanded - 1.96%
Jalna - 5.68%
Aurangabad - 3.46%
Nashik - 0.48%
Thane - 0.87%
Mumbai Suburban - 1.99%
Mumbai City - 1.19%
Raigadh - 3.82%
Pune - 1.07%
Ahmednagar - 1.38%
Beed - 4.18%
Latur - 1.51%
Osmanabad - 0.54%
Solapur - 1.01%
Satara - 0.81%
Ratnagiri - 0.65%
Sindhudurg - 2.85%
Kolhapur - 5.35%
Sangli - 1.51%
Palghar - 0.97%

Voting percentage in Haryana Assembly constituencies:

Ambala - 2.93%
Yamunanagar - 6.20%
Kurukshetra - 2.95%
Panipat - 4.07%
Sonipat - 4.58%
Jind - 4.79%
Sirsa - 1.88%
Hisar - 4.25%
Bhiwani - 4.40%
Rohtak - 7.05%
Jhajjar - 1.86%
Gurugram - 1.82%
Faridabad - 2.71%
Palwal - 2.33%
Charki Dadri - 0.66%

Wrestlers Babita Phogat, Geeta Phogat and their family cast votes at a polling booth in Balali village in Charkhi Dadri constituency.

Babita Phogat is contesting on BJP ticket from here against Congress candidate Nirpender Singh Sangwan and JJP candidate Satpal Sangwan.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis takes to Twitter, says, "Voting is our Right, Voting is our Duty."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah at National Police Memorial in Delhi. 

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari casts his vote and speaks to the media. Watch Video

Uma Shankar, the first person to cast his vote on Monday morning at the Manikpur polling station in Chitrakoot, was given a certificate of appreciation by the Election Commission officials.

Shankar said that he was pleasantly surprised to receive the commendation from the poll panel.

He said that though the campaign was mainly focused around the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, he had decided to cast his vote on issues concerning rural development and water woes in the region.

You can still cast your vote, even if you do not have a voter's ID card.

Read How 

Yogeshwar Dutt, Olympic Medallist and BJP candidate from Baroda casts his vote.

He is contesting against Congress candidate Krishan Hooda. 

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)leader Supriya Sule casts her vote in Baramati.

Her cousin and NCP leader Ajit Pawar is contesting against BJP's Gopichand Padalkar from the constituency.

Voting in the bypoll for the Kamaraj Nagar assembly seat in Puducherry is underway on Monday. The polling began at 7 a.m. and would conclude at 6 p.m. There are nine candidates in the fray but the main contest is between Congress party's A. John Kumar and AINRC nominee S.Bhuvaneswarane.

Voting for the bypoll to Naxal-affected Chitrakot Assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh began on Monday morning amid heavy security. Six candidates are in fray from the seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, where the byelection was necessitated after Congress MLA Deepak Baij got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bastar parliamentary constituency.

Polling began at 8 am and will end at 5 pm, an election official said. A total of 229 polling booths have been set up for the bypoll 213 in Bastar district and 16 in the neighbouring Sukma district, he said.

Voting for bypolls in six Assembly constituencies of Gujarat began on Monday morning. The by-elections are being held in Tharad, Radhanpur, Kheralu, Bayad, Amraiwadi and Lunawada seats, where voting began at 8 am and will end at 6 pm, a poll official said. A total of 42 candidates are in the fray for the bypolls, which are being viewed as a battle of prestige for Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, as four of these six seats were held by the ruling BJP.

Byelections were necessitated in Radhanpur and Bayad due to the resignations of sitting MLAs Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP.

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Former chief minister Ashok Chavan and the current BJP-led Maharashtra government's school education minister Ashish Shelar were among the early ones to cast their votes for the state Assembly polls on Monday. Politicians, as well as members of the public, came out to exercise their democratic right in the morning despite rain Chavan and his family members cast their votes at the Ambedkar Nagar Municipal school in Nanded district.

In Mumbai, where it has been drizzling since last two days, Shelar exercised his franchise at St Stanisluas High school in suburban Bandra.

NCP Leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar voted at Baramati in Pune district. Chavan is the Congress' candidate from Bhokar in
Nanded for the ongoing state polls, while Pawar is the NCP's nominee from Baramati.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, his wife Kanchan cast his vote in Nagpur. 

I am confident that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will win around 225 seats, the opposition has lost all credibility and is nowhere in the contest. People are with Modi ji and Fadnavis ji: Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Mumbai

TikTok star Sonali Phogat who is contesting on a BJP ticket from Adampur constituency casts her vote.

She is up against senior Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi.

Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Kumari Selja casts her vote at polling booth number 103 in Yashoda Public School. 

Voting is on hold after an EVM machine at booth number 286 in Badshahpur stops working

India TV Editor-In-Chief and Chairman Rajat Sharma appeals to all voters to come out in large numbers.

The voting has begun for the bypoll to Bijepur Assembly constituency in Odisha's Bargarh district on Monday. A total of 2.32 lakh eligible voters including 1.20 lakh male and 1.12 lakh female are expected to exercise their franchise in 285 polling booths in the Assembly constituency. The polling which began at 7 a.m. will continue till 6 p.m.

Sushil Kumar Lohani, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has said 129 polling stations have been identified as critical. He informed that adequate steps have been taken to ensure hassle-free voting in six polling stations, vulnerable to Left Wing Extremism (LWE) menace.

The voters will decide the fate of five candidates in the fray.

Polling in Mandawa and Khivsar assembly constituencies in Rajasthan began at 7 a.m. on Monday amid tight security arrangements. The by-elections on both the seats are being held after Khivsar (Nagaur) MLA Hanuman Beniwal and Mandawa (Jhunjhunu) MLA Narendra Kumar were elected to the Lok Sabha in May this year.

As many as 12 candidates, nine in Mandawa and three in Khivsar, are in the fray.

A total of 259 polling stations have been set up in Mandawa where 2,27,414 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise, whereas in Khivsar, 2,50,155 people will cast their votes in 266 booths.

Sixty polling stations in Mandawa and 121 in Khivsar have been identified as sensitive. Eight companies of central security forces have been deployed in each of the constituencies, according to chief electoral officer Anand Kumar.  

Actress Shubha Khote after casts her vote for the Andheri West constituency.

Polling for the bypolls in Tamil Nadu's Vikravandi and Nanguneri assembly constituencies began on Monday morning to decide the electoral fate of 35 candidates in the fray. The polling will conclude at 6 p.m. The counting of votes would be taken up on October 24.​

Bypoll in Vikravandi was necessitated following the death of DMK legislator K.Rathamani in June, while the Nanguneri seat fell vacant as Congress legislator H.Vasantha Kumar resigned after he got elector for the Lok Sabha.

A total of 23 candidates are in the fray in Vikravandi seeking the favour of about 2.24 lakh voters.

Voting for Assembly by-polls began on Monday in Mandava and Khinvsar from 7 a.m. in the morning. While Congress' Rita Chaudhary is facing BJP's Sushila Seegda from Mandava, Khinsar has an interesting battle between Congress' Harendra Mirdha and RLP's Narayan Beniwal, brother of MP Hanuman Beniwal, which is an alliance party to BJP.

The polling shall continue till 6 p.m. and counting will be on October 24.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and candidate from Baramati, Ajit Pawar casts his vote, he is contesting against BJP's Gopichand Padalkar.

Polling for by-elections to two Assembly seats in the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh began on Monday morning. The by-elections to Dharamsala and Pachhad seats were necessitated as Kishan Kapoor and Suresh Kashyap resigned their Assembly seats as they were elected to the Lok Sabha. Greenhorns Reena Kashyap and Vishal Nehria are the BJP candidates from Pachhad and Dharamsala seats, respectively.

The Congress has fielded former Speaker and seven-time legislator Gangu Ram from Pachhad, and young leader from the Gaddi community Vijay Inder Karan from Dharamsala.

The main contest is between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 82,137 voters will cast their vote at 89 polling booths for seven candidates in Dharamsala, while 74,487 voters will decide the fate of five candidates by casting their ballot at 113 booths in Pachhad.

The counting of ballots will be on October 24.

Braving heavy rains, early voters queued up at polling stations in the five assembly constituencies in Kerala on Monday where bypolls are being held, to cast their franchise. A total of 9.57 lakh voters are expected to participate in the bypolls being held in Vattiyoorkavu (Thiruvananthapuram), Aroor (Alapuzha), Konni (Pathnamthitta), Ernakulam and Manjeshwaram (Kasaragod).

A total of 896 polling stations have been set up in the constituencies.

According to early reports, except manjeshwaram, it is raining heavily in the four other constituencies.

The ruling CPI(m)-led LDF, the main opposition Congress headed UDF and the BJP-NDA had put up a stiff fight to woo voters in all the five constituencies -- four of which were held by the UDF and one by the LDF.  

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat casts his vote in Nagpur. Watch video

Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are not factors, the contest is between Congress and BJP. Congress will get the majority, says Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress.

Voting underway at polling booth 128-129 in Balali village in Charkhi Dadri constituency.

Wrestler Babita Phogat is contesting on a BJP ticket from here against Congress candidate Nirpender Singh Sangwan and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate Satpal Sangwan. 

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro casts vote for the Worli Assembly constituency. 

Over 1.83 crore voters in BJP-ruled Haryana will cast their votes in a single-phase polling that began on Monday morning to elect the 90-member legislative Assembly, election officials said. Other than minor initial hiccups in the operation of the electronic voting machines, voting began across the state at a brisk pace.

Electors across the state could be seen reaching polling stations even before voting started at 7 a.m. The polling will continue till 6 p.m.

"There has been no report of any delay in starting the poll process," an electoral officer said. The election result would be out on October 24, coinciding with the Maharashtra assembly election result.

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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat casts his vote for the Nagpur Central constituency. Speaking to people outside the polling booth, Bhagwat said 100 per cent votes should be cast today in the state. 

Polling for the bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab began on Monday morning. Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m., officials said. The four assembly seats where the bypolls will be held include Phagwara (reserve), Jalalabad, Dakha and Mukerian. Around 7.76 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of 33 candidates. The results of the elections will be declared on October 24.

Seven companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the four assembly segments, the official said.

A total 920 polling stations have been set up. Some polling stations in Dakha and Jalalabad have been categorised as sensitive. 

Read Full News Here

Polling began on Monday for the by-election to Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua Assembly seat. The voting, which started at 7 am across 356 booths, will end at 5 pm, an official said. The ruling Congress in the state is making all efforts to wrest the tribal-dominated seat from the opposition BJP.

BJP leader GS Damor defeated Vikrant Bhuria of the Congress in the Assembly polls last year. Later, Damor contested the Lok Sabha election from
Ratlam seat where he defeated Vikrant Bhuria's father Kantilal Bhuria. He subsequently resigned as MLA from Jhabua, which necessitated the by-election.

The main contestants for the bypoll are senior Congress leader Kantilal Bhuria and BJP's Bhanu Bhuria, who is making his electoral debut.

Read Full News Here

Polling began on Monday morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra where 3,237 candidates, including 235 women, are in the fray. The voting commenced at 7 am and will end at 6 pm. Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from Nagpur South-West and his predecessors from the Congress -- Ashok Chavan, who is contesting from Bhokar in Nanded district, and Prithviraj Chavan, who is seeking a re-
election from Karad South in Satara district.

The BJP, under Fadnavis' leadership, is seeking a second straight term in the state. Aaditya Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, has also entered the poll fray from Worli constituency in Mumbai.

Read Full News Here

Voting for the bypolls to 11 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh began on Monday morning amid tight security. Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till to 6 p.m. Eight of the 11 seats were held earlier by the BJP and one by BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). The seats of Rampur and Jalalpur (Ambedkarnagar) were held by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, respectively.

The BJP, BSP, SP and the Congress have fielded their candidates on all the seats.

According to the office of UP's Chief Electoral Officer, 109 candidates are in the fray for the bypolls to the Assembly seats of Gangoh, Rampur, Iglas (SC), Lucknow Cantonment, Govindnagar, Manikpur, Pratapgarh, Zaidpur (SC), Jalalpur, Balha (SC) and Ghosi.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged voters in Maharashtra and Haryana to vote in record numbers.

Taking to Twitter, the prime minister said, "Elections are taking place for Haryana and Maharashtra assemblies. There are also by-polls taking place in various parts of India. I urge voters in these states and seats to turnout in record numbers and enrich the festival of democracy. I hope youngsters vote in large numbers."

Babita Phogat has a clean image and her speeches are passionate and people are influenced by it and are giving her their blessings. She will win the election by a big margin: Mahavir Singh Phogat, father of wrestler Babita Phogat who is contesting from Dadri as BJP candidate.

 Polling for 288 constituencies in Maharashtra & 90 constituencies in Haryana begins

Mumbai: Preparation underway at booth number 244-250 ahead of polling for the Malabar Hill assembly constituency.

Mangal Prabhat Lodha for BJP and Heera Devasi for Congress are contesting from this constituency. 

Gondia: Mock polling underway at booth number 285 for the Gondia Assembly constituency.

Gopal Agarwal from BJP and Amar Varade from Congress are contesting from this constituency.

Mumbai: Preparation underway at booth number 283-284 ahead of polling for the Bandra West assembly constituency.

Ashish Shelar from BJP and Asif Zakaria from Congress are contesting from this constituency.

Nagpur: Mock polling underway at polling booth -144 for the Nagpur South-West constituency.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is BJP's candidate for the constituency.