1st phase of Lok Sabha polls ends peacefully across India

New Delhi: Nearly 60 per cent polling was reported till 5 pm in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories amid sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal while an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh left a CRPF jawan dead.

An Election Commission spokesperson said the turnout figure was only approximate and polling was held "smoothly and peacefully". While voting for the first and biggest phase of the seven-phased elections began at 7 am in all constituencies, it ended at 6 pm in most of the seats. Assembly elections are also being held simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. While the National Democratic alliance (NDA) under Prime Minister Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

Among the voters were first-timers, many newly-wed couples who came in their traditional attires, physically-challenged people and some elderly persons carried on stretchers and wheelchairs. Minor EVM glitches were reported at some booths in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Assam.

Election officials said the turnout in West Bengal was 77.57 per cent till 5 pm, Assam 70.77 per cent and Meghalaya 69.91 per cent while voters in six districts of eastern Nagaland stayed indoors following an indefinite shutdown call by an apex body of tribal organisations to press for its demand for a separate state.

In West Bengal, polling was marred by violence in the Cooch Behar seat. TMC and BJP workers clashed with each other and lodged 80 and 39 complaints respectively related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assault on poll agents, sources from both parties said. In strife-torn Manipur, around an impressive turnout of 67.46 per cent till 5 pm was recorded. An altercation broke out between locals and unidentified persons in Thongju assembly constituency under the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat. In Chhattisgarh, 63.41 per cent voters cast their votes in the Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency where the CRPF jawan after the grenade accidentally went off while an officer was injured in an IED blast in another incident.

In Tamil Nadu, where polling is spread over 39 constituencies, a voting percentage of over 63.20 per cent was recorded. Voting was delayed by an hour in some polling booths in the state such as the one near Tambaram due to technical glitches in the electronic voting machines. Arunachal Pradesh saw over 60 per cent of the total 8,92,694 voters exercising their franchise. Though the turnout was moderate in the morning hours due to inclement weather, it gathered momentum with weather conditions improving. In a few polling stations in the state, polling was delayed as the electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed technical snags which were later replaced, Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain said.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw a voting percentage of 56.87 per cent.