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First Phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Polls: 91 Seats, Thousands of Candidates, Millions of Voters

First phase of polls
20 states and union territories go to polls in the first phase
First phase of polls
20 states and union territories go to polls in the first phase

The first phase of Lok Sabha polls was commenced on Thursday. Millions of voters across 20 states and union territories were scheduled to cast their votes

The first phase of Lok Sabha polls witnessed thousands of candidates from various regional and national political parties, contesting for 91 seats across twenty states and union territories on Thursday.

The voting process was carried out in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Telangana.

According to reports, a worker of the Telugu Desam Party in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, died during a clash. Additionally, 362 Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were said to have malfunctioned in the state.

IED blasts were reported in Maharashtra and the Northeast. However, no casualties have been reported so far.

In Uttar Pradesh, 8 out of 80 seats went to polls in the first phase. The major constituencies from UP included Saharanpur, Kairana, Ghaziabad, Baghpat, and Gautam Buddha Nagar.

It was a sluggish start in the morning, but the voting pace picked up as the day went by. While Tripura was leading the way, with a 30% voters turnout in the morning, Sikkim witnessed only 11% of registered voters till 11 a.m.

Parts of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Odisha, and West Bengal also went to polls.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term in power, the opposition is being led by the re-energized Congress President, Rahul Gandhi.

This year’s polls will be concluded at the end of the 7th phase on May 19. Results are scheduled to be announced on May 23, 2019.

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