Tripura had the highest voting participation, with over 80% of voters casting ballots
During the first round of Lok Sabha election, female voters display their inked fingertips after casting their ballots at a polling place. The first of seven phases of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections took place on Friday, marking the beginning of the greatest democracy in the world. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first round of voting for 102 parliamentary seats distributed across 21 states and Union Territories (UTs) saw a voter participation of about 64%.
With nearly 80% of voters, the northeastern state of Tripura had the greatest turnout, while Bihar had the lowest, with less than 49%. An official release states that because polling was extended until 6 PM in many constituencies, the voting percentage is probably going to increase after data from every polling place is gathered. Of all the phases, the first has the most parliamentary constituencies.
Political Parties Intensify Election Campaigns
With PM Modi speaking at a rally in Karnataka’s Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura on Saturday and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaking at two rallies in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, and Bhagalpur, Bihar, the political parties have stepped up their election campaigning.
The INDIA bloc and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA are the two main political coalitions that will compete in the 2024 Lok Sabha Election. The NDA has the BJP, the PMK, the JDU, and other political parties as members, whereas the INDIA bloc is made up of political parties like the Congress, the AAP, the TMC, etc.
With echoes of “abki baar 400 paar,” the NDA is aiming for its third consecutive term in this general election. In contrast, the opposition INDIA alliance is running an economical campaign, pledging cash handouts to women and MSP for farmers in its manifesto.
Lok Sabha Election 2024: Phase-wise schedule
- Phase 1- April 19 (polling done)
- Phase 2- April 26
- Phase 3- May 7
- Phase 4 – May 13
- Phase 5 – May 20
- Phase 6 – May 25
- Phase 7 – June 1
On June 4, the Lok Sabha election results will be announced and the votes will be counted.
Voter turnout in West Uttar Pradesh is 60.25%
In all eight of western Uttar Pradesh’s parliamentary constituencies, where Friday’s first phase of the Lok Sabha election took place, voter turnout totaled 60.25 percent. Eighty candidates in all, seven women and 73 males, are running in the state’s first round. UP’s parliamentary constituencies Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Saharanpur, Kairana, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Bijnor, and Rampur were among those that held polls on Friday.
The Election Commission of India released data showing that voter turnout was 65.95 percent in Saharanpur, 54.77 percent in Rampur, 59.29 percent in Muzaffarnagar, and 61.91 percent in Pilibhit. In Bijnor (58.21 percent of voters), Kairana (61.17 percent), Moradabad (60.60 percent), and Nagina (59.54 percent) the voter turnout was reported.
56% voting in the Northeast is lowest in Mizoram
Mizoram had one of the lowest voter turnouts in the Northeastern states during the first round of the general election, with 56% of electors casting ballots until 5 p.m. on Friday.
H Lianzela, the assistant chief electoral officer, reports that voting took place at 1276 polling places from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. “We have recorded 56.68 percent voter turnout till 5pm, however, the percentage could increase as voting continued in some polling stations,” Lianzela stated.
He claimed that throughout the 10-hour voting procedure, there were no significant problems and that everything went smoothly. Still, there were reports of minor technical issues, such as EVM and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) equipment malfunctions.
Meghalaya records a 72.33% voter turnout in a calm election
In Meghalaya, the two parliamentary constituencies of Shillong and Tura saw an overall voter participation of 72.33% on Friday.
Compared to the 71.42% voter turnout recorded in the most recent Lok Sabha elections in 2019, a substantially higher turnout is anticipated this year.
The turnout rate was 72.33% through 7 p.m. Ten candidates in all, six from the Shillong parliamentary constituency and four from the Tura parliamentary constituency.
Chief electoral officer (CEO), Dr. BDR Tiwari, told reporters, “We are hoping to see an increase in the overall polling percentage once we receive the final figure.” Nonetheless, he claimed that Tura has seen a decline in vote percentage whereas Shillong’s parliamentary seat has seen a gain.
Cooch Behar continues to be the epicenter of vote violence
On the first day of the West Bengal Lok Sabha elections, Cooch Behar remained the center of poll-violence despite allegations of altercations between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) beginning shortly after the polls opened at 7 p.m.
Workers and supporters of the two bitter rivals clashed at Chandmari hamlet, which is close to Cooch Behar town. Reports of stone-pelting surfaced. There was at least one injured party. Violent reports also came in from Bhetaguri in the Dinhata block.
TMC claimed that their block president, Anant Barman, was hurt when crude bombs were thrown. He required hospitalization. Udayan Guha, the state minister, raced to the hospital.
According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress supports personal laws that encourage polygamy
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Congress on Friday of endorsing antiquated customs like polygamy in its Lok Sabha election manifesto, citing “freedom of personal laws” as evidence.
The former Union minister, who is running for re-election from the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, claimed there was “a massive groundswell of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi” in remarks he made to media following the conclusion of the first round of voting.
“They embrace personal laws despite claiming to be secular. Prasad, who formerly held the Law and Justice portfolio in the Union cabinet, questioned, “What do personal laws provide for other than four marriages?”
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