Nearly 50% voter turnout till 3 PM in phase 1 Lok Sabha polls
The first phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections began in 21 states and Union territories today.
Nearly 50% voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm across the states.
Seats in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Puducherry go to polls today.
More than 16.63 crore voters, which include over 8 crore men and women each, will cast their vote at nearly 2 lakh polling stations.
Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Bhupendra Yadav, Kiren Rijiju, Jitendra Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Sarbananda Sonowal are in the fray in the first phase.
Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s Kanimozhi and BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai are also contesting the polls today.
The general elections to elect 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.