Voting was largely smooth in the first three hours of polling in phase three, the biggest of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections for 117 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and two Union Territories.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in Ahmedabad, minutes after he urged all voters to come out and vote: “Your vote is precious and will shape the direction our nation takes in the years to come.”
Later, taking to the waiting mediapersons the Prime Minster said the Voter ID was the strength of democracy and much more powerful than a terrorist’s IED.
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Others who voted in the first few hours were BJP chief Amit Shah, BJP’s Karnataka leader BS Yedyyurappa, NCP’s Supriya Sule, Goa CM Pramod Sawant and Kerala Cm Pinarayi Vijayan.
Glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were reported from a few places in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar.
India is in the middle of a seven-phase elections to pick a new Lok Sabha. In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finished ahead of the Congress in the seats which went to polls in the first and second phase, but was behind non-Congress, non-BJP parties. Parliamentary constituencies which will go to polls in each phase beginning today saw the BJP winning a majority in the 2014 elections. Of the 117 seats, the BJP won 62 and the NDA, 67, in 2014.
Of the 117, polling in one seat in Tripura was deferred from an earlier phase and polling in Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir, will happen in three phases starting with phase three.
{{/usCountry}}Of the 117, polling in one seat in Tripura was deferred from an earlier phase and polling in Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir, will happen in three phases starting with phase three.
{{/usCountry}}Tuesday’s polling will also mark an end to the electoral battle in southern India. With polling already complete in Tamil Nadu (except Vellore), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 20 seats in Kerala and the remaining 14 in Karnataka will go to polls on Tuesday.