Thursday, May 2

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 1: National Average Of 63.9% Voter Turnout Recorded

Edited by Fazal Rahman Chembulangad
Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 1 Live Updates: National Average Of 62% Voter Turnout Recorded

The voting for the first phase of India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections recorded a national average of 63.9 per cent of voter turnout across 21 states and union territories today.

The state of Tripura has registered the highest percent of voter turnout – 80.17% – followed by West Bengal with 77.57% voter turnout. Bihar recorded the lowest voter turnout with only 48.5%.

Around 16.63 crore voters including 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 third gender cast their votes. Around 3 pm, 50 percent voter turnout was recorded.

Several Tamil Actors reached the polling stations and cast their votes in Tamil Nadu, where the voters today will exercise their franchises for all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. Actors such as Rajnikanth, Dhanush, Kamal Hassan, Thala Ajith Kumar, and Sivakarthikeyan were spotted at different polling stations in the morning.

There are 35.64 lakh first-time voters and 3.51 crore young voters between the age of 20 to 29. The first phase includes several key contestants and important constituencies. The voting will be end by 6 pm. 

The states and union territories where the elections will be held in the first phase today are Arunachal Pradesh (2 seats), Assam (5 seats), Bihar (4 seats), Chhattisgarh (1 seat), Madhya Pradesh (6 seats), Maharashtra (5 seats), Manipur (2 seats), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1 seat), Nagaland (1 seat), Rajasthan (12 seats), Sikkim (1 seat), Tamil Nadu (39 seats), Tripura (1 seat), Uttar Pradesh (8 seats), Uttarakhand (5 seats), West Bengal (3 seats), Andaman and Nicobar (1 seat), Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat), Lakshadweep (1 seat) and Puducherry (1 seat).

Lok Sabha Elections Phase 1 Live Updates: 

07:00 pm, April 19, 2024: Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Pradeep Jha said that voting has remained largely peaceful in the state except a few instances of violence including damage to the EVMs, some reports of criminal intimidation, “or somebody trying to influence the voters.” Jha added that the authorities will be taking necessary action once reports from the districts are received.

06:30 pm, April 19, 2024: West Bengal has recorded 77.57% voter turnout till 5 pm. It is the highest voter turnout amongst all the states and union territories voting in the first phase of the national elections. Tripura comes second with a voter turnout of 76.10%. Meanwhile, Bihar had a 46.32% voter turnout.

06:15 pm, April 19, 2024: Union Minister and BJP candidate from Cooch Behar constituency, Nisith Pramanik, alleged that Several TMC goons arrived at the polling booth in Dineshwari Primary School with more than 100 bikes, vandalising the booth and attacking people.

06:10 pm, April 19, 2024: The Election Commission posted on X that voting in Malogam polling station in Arunachal Pradesh has been concluded with the last voter casting her vote.

06:05 pm, April 19, 2024: West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, “BJP has understood that they are losing.” She stated that the people of West Bengal have guaranteed the party’s loss, confirming that TMC candidates will secure victory in the three constituencies of Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri. She said that polling happened peacefully at the region.

06:00 pm, April 19, 2024: Coimbatore candidate and state BJP chief K. Annamalai said that there were complaints from a large number of voters regarding missing names from the voters’ list. He demanded a re-poll in such places, citing doubts of political interference as several names of BJP caders were allegedly found missing.

05:52 pm, April 19, 2024: West Bengal records a turnout of 77.57 percent till 5 pm. The Cooch Behar constituency recorded a turnout of 77.73 percent. Alipurduar recorded 75.54 percent while Jalpaiguri constituency recorded 79.33 percent.

04:45 pm, April 19, 2024: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav says that the BJP’s first day, first show has flopped. “People are now neither liking the acting of BJP leaders, nor the story, nor the worn-out dialogues. BJP’s window is empty…” he said in a post on X.

04:30 pm, April 19, 2024: Police discovered nine explosives 200 metres away from a polling booth in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district’s Falimari village.

04:15 pm, April 19, 2024: Election Commission says polls are by and large peaceful across States and UTs. “Voters show great enthusiasm, as polling reaches halfway mark.” EC in a separate post announced that voting in Malogam polling station of Arunachal Pradesh “completed successfully.”

03:55 pm, April 19, 2024: A major argument was reportedly broke out between the police and the Inner Manipur Congress candidate Bimol Akoijam after his polling agent was allegedly driven out of a polling station. 

03:30 pm, April 19, 2024: A 102-year-old lady reached the polling booth to cast her vote at Reddiyarchatram in Dindigul district. She was seen walking with the help of a stick. 

03:00 pm, April 19, 2024: In Tamil Nadu, around 51.41% voter turnout was recorded in the Lok Sabha elections till 3pm. Dindigul, Tamil Nadu: 

02:35 pm, April 19, 2024: Polling have been stopped at 5 Thongju, 31 Khongman Zone in Imphal after some women alleged irregularities and created a ruckus. The polling officer closed the polling booth following the ruckus. 

02:35 pm, April 19, 2024: Election Commission shares glimpses of people from different polling booths across the country. 

02:10 pm, April 19, 2024: Election Commission led by CEC Rajiv Kumar and ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu monitoring the progress of polling in Phase 1 of General Elections 2024 at ECI Headquarters in Nirvachan Sadan today. 

01:35 pm, April 19, 2024: Tamil Nadu: Actor Suriya Sivakumar cast his vote at a polling booth in Chennai 

01:00 pm, April 19, 2024: According to updates, neary 40 percent of the voter turnout were reported till 1pm. Northeast states record high voter turnout, Tripura leads with 53 percent turnout at 1 pm. 

12:45 pm, April 19, 2024: Miscreants opened fire near polling booths in Manipur, reportedly killing three people and creating a sense of fear among the electorates thronged there to cast their votes. 

12:35 pm, April 19, 2024: After casting her vote, Congress Candidate from Cooch Behar Piya Roy Chowdhury said, “Violence is taking place…I did cast my vote. EC is not working appropriately…People are threatened to vote; BJP and TMC are doing this, Congress is a peaceful party; this fight is going on between BJP and TMC…” Piya Roy was heard saying in a video shared by the news agency ANI

12:15 pm, April 19, 2024: As the first phase of India’s general election is underway, US Diplomat Atul Keshap says India’s national election is Maha Kumbh Mela of Democracy”

11:50 pm, April 19, 2024: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president Vijay casts his vote at a polling booth in Neelankarai, Chennai.

11:15 am, April 19, 2024: Congress leader Sachin Pilot said in a video shared by ANI said,  “There is an atmosphere of change in the entire country and state and based on what I am seeing, I think that the performance of Congress will be much better than before and INDIA alliance will get a majority on June 4…”

11:15 am, April 19, 2024: After casting vote, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says, “Festival of democracy has started. I appeal to all the people to vote and strengthen democracy.” 

10:15 am, April 19, 2024: Congress veteran Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram took to X after casting his vote in Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai. constituency. The former Union Minister’s son and the incumbent MP Karti Chidambaram is vying for his second term from Sivagangai. “After casting my vote in Sivagangai constituency, TN,” Chidambaram wrote.

10:00 am, April 19, 2024: Union Minister and one of the key contestants in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections Nitin Gadkari says he will definitely win the election from Nagpur seat by “a very big margin.” In a video shared by the news agency ANI, the Road Transport and Highways Minister said, “We are celebrating the country’s biggest festival with great enthusiasm…In Nagpur, I would especially appeal to the voters that the temperature is high here so they should come early and vote. Last time there was 54 per cent voting, this time our resolve is to take the voting percentage to 75 per cent. I will definitely win this election by a very big margin.”

9:15 am, April 19, 2024: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with his mother and wife cast the votes at a polling station in Khatima.A video shared by the news agency ANI showed the family participating in the democratic exercise. 

 

9:00 am, April 19, 2024: In Tamil Nadu where voting for all the 39 Lok Sabha seats takes place, several actors have begun reaching the polling stations early in the morning. Actor Thala Ajith Kumar reached the polling stations as early as 6.45 am to cast his vote. South superstar Rajinikanth also cast his votes at a polling booth in Tamil Nadu. Actors Sivakarthikeyan and his wife and Danush were also seen in the polling booths to participate in the democratic exercise.

8:50 am, April 19, 2024: As the first phase of the Lok Sabha election began, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to his social media platform X and asked the voters to defeat hatred. “Remember, each of your votes is going to decide the future of Indian democracy and the coming generations. So come out and strengthen democracy by applying the balm of your vote to the wounds inflicted on the soul of the nation in the last 10 years. Defeat hatred and open the ‘shop of love’ in every company,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.

8:50 am, April 19, 2024: As the first phase of elections begins today, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said to people that they are now the decider of India’s destiny. “Dear citizens, from 21 States and UTs who are voting in the First Phase of the Lok Sabha elections, I request you to carefully cast your vote. Fight to protect our Constitution and democracy begins today….” the Congress president said in a long post on X.

8:40 am, April 19, 2024: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin cast his vote at a polling booth in Chennai. A video shared by the News agency ANI shows the chief minister casting his vote inside the polling booth.

 

8:20 am, April 19, 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking to his social media platform X urged the voters to cast their ballots in record numbers. “I especially urge young people and first-time voters to vote in large numbers. After all, every vote counts and every voice matters!,” the Prime Minister wrote.

 

8:15 am, April 19, 2024: Here are the pictures of voters queuing up in front of the polling booths to cast their votes. The Election Commission posted the glimpses of people in its official X handle.

 

8:00 am, April 19, 2024: Just before the beginning of the polling for the first phase of the elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar urged voters across the country to exercise their franchises in the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In his message voters today, Election Commissioner stated that more than 16 crore voter slips have been distributed in phase one. It’s a kind of invitation that is reaching your house, saying this is your polling station.

“This is your voter list. Please come and vote. youth, male, female, old age, transgender, everybody we are looking for. Our staff is a very well trained. Teams are there at all the polling stations to welcome you very, very courteously. Please come” Rajiv Kumar said.