Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked voters for turning out in large numbers for the first phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 on Friday and expressed confidence in the National Democratic Alliance’s big win on June 4.
Taking to the social media platform X, the Prime Minister wrote, “First phase, great response! Thank you to all those who have voted today. Getting EXCELLENT feedback from today’s voting. People across India are voting for NDA in record numbers.”
First phase, great response! Thank you to all those who have voted today.Getting EXCELLENT feedback from today’s voting. It’s clear that people across India are voting for NDA in record numbers.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 19, 2024
A voter turnout of over 60% was registered in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories amid sporadic incidents of violence at some places such as West Bengal’s Coochbehar and an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh that left a CRPF jawan dead.
The Election Commission said polling for the first and biggest phase of the seven-phase elections remained largely peaceful. Voters braved the heat in most parts while at some places, they waited patiently in pouring rain as the world’s largest poll exercise got underway at 7 am.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Prime Minister Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
Assembly elections were also held simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The tentative figure of voter turnout till 7 pm is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained, the EC said, adding voters reaching polling stations till the end of polling hour are allowed to cast their vote. Among the voters were first-timers, many newly-wed couples who came in their traditional attires, physically-challenged people and some elderly persons carried on stretchers and wheelchairs.
Minor EVM glitches were reported at some booths in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Assam. In West Bengal, polling was marred by violence in the Cooch Behar seat. TMC and BJP workers clashed with each other and lodged 80 and 39 complaints respectively related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assault on poll agents, sources from both parties said. In strife-torn Manipur, around an impressive turnout of 68.62 per cent till 5 pm was recorded.
Voting was also held in 12 seats of 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.
Among the prominent candidates in the fray in the first phase are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Sarbananda Sonowal, Gaurav Gogoi of Congress and DMK’s Kanimozhi. Besides Tamil Nadu, polling is being held for all seats of Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).
Simultaneously, assembly elections were held in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats). The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations.
(With PTI inputs)
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