Lok Sabha Election 2019: Polling Concludes For Phase 5, Estimated Total Voter Turnout At 61.48%

The fifth phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections have been concluded with an estimated total voter turnout of 61.48%. With this phase more than 70% of India has cast their vote in the elections. Big names like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani were in fray. 

While BJP leader Smriti Irani (profile ), who is contesting against Rahul Gandhi (profile ), accused him of booth capturing, Congress rubbished her allegations. West Bengal saw widespread violence, while a grenade was thrown at a polling booth in Pulwama. Polling was over all peaceful in other parts of the country. 

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7:00 pm Polling Concludes For Phase 5, Voter Turnout At 61.48%

Polling concluded for phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections 2019. A voter turnout of 61.48% was recorded in the 51 constituencies across seven states. 

Here’s a state-wise turnout 

Bihar 57.76%

Jammu and Kashmir 17.07%

Madhya Pradesh 63.51%

Rajasthan 63.36%

Uttar Pradesh 54.70%

West Bengal 74.15%

Jharkhand 64.23%

5:47 pm: Video Shows Scuffle Between TMC MP, Central Forces

While TMC’s Prasun Bandyopdhayay claimed he was ‘manhandled’ by security forces, ANI tweeted a video of a scuffle between him and the Central forces in Howrah. 

5:45 pm: BJP’s Locket Chatterjee Stages Sit-In Protest After Her Car Was Vandalised

West Bengal has seen widespread violence in each and every phase of polling. Each time the TMC and the BJP have blamed each other. On Monday BJP leader Locket Chatterjee was staged a sit-in protest In Hooghly after her car was reportedly vandalised. 

5:03 pm: 51.14% Voter Turnout Across 7 States Till 5 pm 

The total voter turnout in all the 51 constituencies voting across seven states till 5 pm was 51.14%, the Election Commission said. 

Here is the state-wise voter turnout: 

Bihar 44.71%

Jammu and Kashmir 15.51%

Madhya Pradesh 54.06%

Rajasthan 51.23%

Uttar Pradesh 45.07%

West Bengal 64.05%

Jharkhand 58.07%

4:00 pm: Widespread Violence In Bengal; TMC Candidate Says He Was ‘Manhandled’ By Central Forces

In Howrah’s Balitikuri, TMC candidate and former India footballer Prasun Bandyopdhayay was “manhandled” allegedly by central forces when he tried to enter a booth there. Bandyopadhyay told PTI, “I had gone there to see poll proceedings. There was nothing wrong in it. But the central forces manhandled me for no reasons.”

An FIR was lodged in this connection, he said.

Bombings were reported from outside a booth at Hingli in Bangaon constituency following a clash between two groups allegedly owing allegiance to the TMC and the BJP, in which two persons were injured, the official said.

There is also a report that a CPI(M) agent was beaten up and driven out of a booth in Arambagh constituency. At a booth in Hooghly seat, BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee was seen threatening a polling officer. She is contesting the poll against TMC’s two-term MP Ratna De Nag.

3:25 pm: 49.74% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm 

The total voter turnout in all the 51 constituencies voting across seven states till 3 pm was 49.74%, the Election Commission said. 

Here is the state-wise voter turnout: 

Bihar 44.08%

Jammu and Kashmir 15.34%

Madhya Pradesh 50.55%

Rajasthan 50.22%

Uttar Pradesh 44.10%

West Bengal 62.14%

Jharkhand 57.24%

 3:20 pm: Mahendra Singh Dhoni Casts His Vote

1:05 pm: 28.46% Voter Turnout In 7 States Till 1 pm

The total voter turnout in all the 51 constituencies till 1 pm was 28.46%

Here is the state-wise voter turnout: 

Bihar 20.74%

Jammu and Kashmir 6.33%

Madhya Pradesh 29.89%

Rajasthan 31.05%

Uttar Pradesh 24.05%

West Bengal 35.50%

Jharkhand 33.65%

12:46 pm: Can Smriti Irani Win From Amethi?

Smriti Irani , Union minister of textiles and Rajya Sabha MP, is contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections  from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi . She is contesting against Congress president Rahul Gandhi , who is the MP from the seat.

Irani contested the Lok Sabha polls for the first time in 2014 from Amethi and  lost to  Gandhi by 1.07 lakh votes. Amethi is considered a Congress bastion and the seat has been held by multiple members of the Gandhi family including Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.

Read the full article here . 

12:30 pm: BJP Seeks Re-Polling In West Bengal’s Barrackpore

BJP ’s Prakash Javadekar has said that the BJP wants a re-poll in West Bengal ’s Barrackpore, where party candidate Arjun Singh was reportedly beaten by TMC workers. 

“TMC goons are pressing buttons, there is rigging happening. Our candidates were threatened and beaten,” NDTV quoted Javadekar as saying. 

12:27 pm: Actor Ashutosh Rana Cast Vote In Madhya Pradesh

12:20 pm: Congress Rubbishes Smriti Irani’s Booth Capturing Claims

While BJP leader Smriti Irani alleged booth capturing in Amethi, and blamed Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the party has dismissed her claims. 

“It now is more than clear that she has lost. Now, she is looking for excuses. If Rahul Gandhi ji is capturing booths, and capturing votes, then what is the Election Commission doing that has been working in a biased manner in favour of Modi and Amit Shah,” Congress spokesperson Zeeshan Haider told Hindustan Times .

12:18 pm: Polling Delayed In 10 Bihar Booths 

Barring a few instances of EVM glitches, which was taken care by polling officials, polling has largely been peaceful in five seats in Bihar, officials told PTI.

“The voting process was delayed by around 30 minutes in six polling stations of Saran, two in Madhubani, one each in Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur constituency due to technical glitches in EVMs, but the polling officials have attended to the issues,” officials said.

12:11 am: Will Rae Bareli Be An Easy Win For Sonia Gandhi? 

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi  is seeking a re-election from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat for the fifth time and is pitted against a former Congress  leader. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  has fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh, who recently joined the BJP after leaving the Congress, from the constituency. Rae Bareli is a Congress stronghold and Gandhi won the seat in 2004, 2006 (bypolls), 2009 and 2014. The Congress has won the seat 19 times , including three bye-elections. The seat has also been represented by Firoze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Arun Nehru, Sheila Kaul and Capt Satish Sharma in the past.

Read the entire article here.  

12:05 pm: Voter Says Three Of His Family Couldn’t Vote In Lucknow

Hindustan Times reports that some voters in Lucknow have said that their names have been deleted from the electoral roll of the Shia PG College polling station. 

Naseem, a voter told Hindustan Times that three names from his family of six had been deleted. 

People from across India have said that their names have been deleted from the electoral roll. Here are some stories of voters who couldn’t cast their ballot: 

Missing Voters: I Thought I’d Be Lucky Enough To Vote But My Name Was Deleted, Says Techie

The Election Commission Is Threatening To Arrest Anyone Questioning EVMs

Missing Voters: I Traveled 500 Km To My Hometown To Vote, But Couldn’t

Missing Voters: My Name Was Deleted, But I Was Able To Fight For My Vote

11:25 am: Re-polling In Five Polling Booths In Andhra Pradesh

Re-polling is on at a brisk pace in five polling booths in three districts of Andhra Pradesh Monday. About 16% of polling was reported overall till 9 am, Election Commission officials told PTI.

The re-poll has been ordered in view of technical glitches in electronic voting machines in these polling booths. Re-polling is being held in polling booth 94 pertaining to Narsaraopet Assembly and Lok Sabha segments, polling booth 244 of Guntur West Assembly and Lok Sabha segments in Guntur district; 247 of Yerragondapalem Assembly and Ongole Lok Sabha segments.

Re-polling is also being held in booth 41 of Kovur Assembly segment under Nellore Lok Sabha constituency and 197 of Sullurupeta Assembly segment under Tirupati parliamentary constituency.

11:15 am: 20.63% Voter Turnout In 7 States Till 11 am

The total voter turnout in all the 51 constituencies during the first four hours of polling was 20.63%

Here is the state-wise voter turnout: 

Bihar 18.71%

Jammu and Kashmir 3.85%

Madhya Pradesh 16.13%

Rajasthan 21.88%

Uttar Pradesh 19.35%

West Bengal 25.11%

Jharkhand 25.61%

10:55 am: Man In West Bengal Seen Directing Voters To Vote For TMC 

Hindustan Times is reporting that in a booth of Naskarpur in Tarakeswar under West Bengal’s Arambag, a man was asking voters to vote for the TMC as they entered the polling booth. He reportedly also stepped inside the booth to check if they were actually carrying out his instructions.

10:25 am: Man Arrested In Bihar’s Chhapra For Vandalising EVM 

A man in Bihar’s Chhapra was arrested for vandalising an EVM in booth number 131.

10:15 am: Smriti Irani Alleges Booth Capturing Amethi

Union Minister Smriti Irani alleged booth capturing in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi with the video of a woman who said she was forced by someone in the booth to vote for the “hand” sign. 

She told ANI , “People of the country have to decide whether this kind of politics of Rahul Gandhi should be punished or not.”

9:40 am: 12.09% Voter Turnout In 7 States Till 9 am 

The total voter turnout in all the 51 constituencies during the first two hours of polling was 12.09%

Here is the state-wise voter turnout: 

Bihar 11.51%

Jammu and Kashmir 0.80%

Madhya Pradesh 12.32%

Rajasthan 13.37%

Uttar Pradesh 9.82%

West Bengal 14.85%

Jharkhand 13.46%

9:35 am: Stone Pelting In Kashmir’s Tral

Moneycontrol says that there was an incident of stone pelting in the Tral region of Jammu and Kashmir. No casualties have been reported so far. 

9:25 am: Grenade Attack In Pulwama Polling Booth

NDTV is reporting that there was a grenade attack in a polling booth in Pulwama. The report said no one was injured. Pulwama is part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency where the third leg of polling is taking place today. 

A grenade was lobbed towards Rohmoo polling station in Pulwama but there were no reports of any casualties in the the blast, a police official said. He said security forces have cordoned off the area. This was the first militant attack on a polling station in this Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir has been largely peaceful this year, however the voter turnout has been very low. 

9:16 am: Smriti Irani Lashes Out At Rahul, Priyanka

8:51 am: West Bengal BJP Leader Says He Was Attacked By ‘TMC Goons’

BJP leader in West Bengal, Arjun Singh has now claimed that he was attacked by Trinamool Congress workers. ANI quoted him as saying, “I was attacked by TMC goons who have been brought from outside. Those people were scaring away our voters. I am injured.” 

Meanwhile NDTV reported that there was a scuffle over the BJP leaders trying to enter the polling booth. 

West Bengal has seen violence in all the four phases of polling, with party leaders and workers being attacked. 

8:45 am: Modi Urges Young Voters To Turnout In Record Numbers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Monday morning to urge people to go out and vote in record numbers. Like every phase of polling, Modi especially urged young voters to turnout in record numbers. 

“A vote is the most effective way to enrich our democracy and contribute to India’s better future,” Modi said. 

8:42 am: EVM Glitches In Gonda And Lucknow

Now, EVM glitches are being reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda and Lucknow. 

8:24 am: EVM Glitches In Amethi And Rae Bareli 

NDTV reported that EVMs in one polling booth in Amethi and two in Rae Bareli were malfunctioning. 

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are seeking re-election in the two Lok Sabha constituencies, considered Congress strongholds. 

8:23 am: BSP Chief Mayawati Casts Vote From Lucknow

8:20 am Polling Delayed In Barrackpore

Polling has also been delayed in West Bengal’s Barrackpore. NDTV reported TMC sources as saying that there were glitches in polling booths in the area.

8:05 am: EVM, VVPATs Glitch In West Bengal’s Howrah

ANI reports that polling is yet to begin in booths 289/ 291/292 in Howrah because of EVM and VVPAT glitches. 

8:01 am: Rajnath Singh Casts His Vote

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh cast his vote in Lucknow this morning. When asked about the results, he told NDTV, “I can’t predict anything.”

7:25 am Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore Arrive In Jaipur Polling Booth

7:15 am: People Wait In Queues As Polling Begins

Former Minister Yashwant Sinha and his wife Nilima Sinha were seen at a polling booth in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh as polling began. 

7:10 am Polling Begins Across 51 Seats In 7 States

Polling beings across 51 Lok Sabah Seats in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

6:40 am: Garauli Village In Madhya Pradesh To Boycott Polls

Garauli village, in Madhya Pradesh, that goes to polls today, held protests on Sunday. The people of the village said they will boycott polls because of water scarcity in their village. They said people in their village have to walk 3-4 kilometers to get water. 

6:35 am: Sabar Tribe In Bandwan Area Of West Bengal To Boycott Polls

Even as the fifth phase of polling is yet to begin, the people of the Sabar tribe in West Bengal’s Purulia district have told ANI they want to boycott polls because of lack of basic amenities like electricity.  

6:32 am: Rahul, Sonia, Smriti Irani, Rajnath Singh In Fray

Polling will take place in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The BJP had won 39 of the 51 seats that go to the polls in this phase, the Congress only two seats and others 10 seats.

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Missing voters , faulty EVMs and clashed, especially in West Bengal, have marked the polls so far.

The Election Comission has set up 94,000 polling stations/booths and made elaborate security arrangements. In the fifth and smallest phase, total 8.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 674 candidates. With this phase, election will be over in 424 seats and polling in the remaining 118 seats will be held on May 12 and 19.

Uttar Pradesh

Fourteen seats in Uttar Pradesh — Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Mohanlalganj, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad, Bahraich, Kaiserganj, Gonda — go to polls in the fifth phase. The BJP had bagged 12 of these seats in 2014 with the Congress winning Rae Bareli and Amethi the only two constituencies where the Congress succeeded out of the 80 in the entire state.

All eyes will be on Amethi where Congress President Rahul Gandhi (profile ) is contesting against Union Minister Smriti Irani (profile ).  In Lucknow , Rajnath Singh (profile ) is seeking a re-election and is fighting against Samajwadi Party ’s debutant contestant Poonam Sinha (profile ). Sonia Gandhi (profile ) is contesting from Congress bastion Rae Bareli. She is pitted against Dinesh Pratap Singh, who recently joined the BJP after leaving the Congress. Sonia Gandhi has held this seat since 2004.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting on five seats Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Mohanlalganj, Fatehpur and Kaisarganj. Its ally Samajwadi Party (SP) is fighting for seven seats Lucknow, Banda, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad, Bahraich and Gonda.

In Amethi and Rae Bareli, the SP-BSP alliance has not put up any candidate, leaving the two constituencies for the Congress.

Bihar

Five seats in Bihar — Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Hajipur — are going to polls. MoS Rajiv Pratap Rudy is taking on Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Chandrika Rai in Saran. In 2014 Rudy won the elections against Rabri Devi.

Hajipur and Saran are considered pocket boroughs of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Ram Vilas Paswan and the RJD of Lalu Prasad respectively. The other three constituencies are Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani. 

Both Paswan, a Union minister, and Prasad, serving jail term in fodder scam cases, are not in the fray, but their parties are making all-out efforts to retain their influence.

West Bengal

In West Bengal,  seven seats — Bangaon, Barrackpore, Howrah, Uleberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, Arambag — go to the polls. After the first four phases saw massive violence and clashes, the state police have been replaced with Central forces to protect polling booths. NDTV reported that the state police will not be allowed within 100 metres of the booths. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly said that the central forces were being used to rig polls in Bengal.

The Bangaon Lok Sabha seat will witness an interesting battle between sitting MP Mamata Bala Thakur of the Trinamool and her nephew Shantanu Thakur of the BJP. They hail from the numerically strong Matua community, which both parties are trying to woo.

Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa, Nagaur go to polls on Monday. This is one of the states where Congress left the BJP in assembly elections late last year. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said ahead of polling day, “This Modi government won’t return. That is a fact. He only wants to win the election in the name of Army, religion [Hindutva] and nationalism,” Gehlot said.

Two former Olympians Rajyawardhan Rathore (BJP) and Krishna Poonia (Congress) will contest against each other in the Jaipur Rural seat. Rathore is a Union minister.

In Bikaner, Union minister and former IAS officer Arjun Ram Meghwal (BJP) is facing a tough fight from his cousin and Congress candidate Madangopal Meghwal, a former IPS officer. Two seers — Sumedhanand Saraswati and Baba Balaknath — are contesting the polls from Sikar and Alwar respectively.

J&K

Two seats in Jammu and Kashmir go to the polls — Anantnag and Ladakh. This time, Shopian and Pulwama districts will go to polls. Pulwama has been the centre of trouble after the attack on the CRPF convoy that killed 44 jawans. Kashmir has seen low voter turnout in the first five phases.

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is pitted against state Congress president GA Mir in Anantnag  where polling is being held in three phases due to security reasons.

In Ladakh, there are four candidates in the fray — Tsering Namgyal of the BJP, Rigzin Spalbar of the Congress and two Independents.

Jharkhand

In Jharkhand Kodarma, Ranchi, Khunti, Hazaribagh go to polls. It’s an interesting battle in Kodarma where the first chief minister of the state and chief of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) Babulal Marandi is seeking a fourth term. He is contesting against former Jharkhand RJD chief Annapurna Devi, who joined the BJP before the elections.

In Hazaribagh, Koderma, Ranchi and Khunti, polling will be held between 7 am and 4 pm. Voting ends two hours before the scheduled end in other constituencies due to security reasons as some areas are affected by Left-Wing Extremism. 

While Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha (BJP) is seeking re-election from Hazaribag, former chief minister and BJP candidate Arjun Munda is taking on Kalicharan Munda of the Congress in the Khunti constituency.

Madhya Pradesh

Seven Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad, Betul, will vote in phase five.