First face poll: Violence in Bengal, Manipur during voting

Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections is currently underway in 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories. The turnout of voters has been brisk so far. Violence has been reported in Bengal and Manipur.

The ruling Trinamool Congress alleged BJP supporters of creating chaos and thrashing their party workers in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district, and even threatening voters. Meanwhile, in Manipur, unknown miscreants fired near a polling station in Thamanpokpi. Violence was also reported at the Iroisemba polling station. Despite that, the voter turnout was among the highest in Manipur (45.68%) and Bengal (50.96%) till 1 pm.

The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the Opposition is hoping to turn the tables under the INDIA bloc. All eyes are on Tamil Nadu, where voting is underway in all 39 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP is hoping for a better turnout in the southern state where PM Modi has campaigned extensively.

In the first phase, polling is being held on all seats in Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). Besides, there is voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.

Overall, the Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations on the 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories. The seven-phase elections will conclude on June 4, when the results will be announced.