Nearly 60% voter turnout till 5pm in first phase of India polls

The first phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections began in 21 states and Union territories on Friday. Nearly 60% voter turnout was recorded till 5pm 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 went to polls today.

More than 16.63 crore voters, which include over 8 crore men and women each, were expected to cast their votes 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.

While the BJP-led NDA is seeking a stronger majority, the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound. In 2019, the UPA had won 45 of the 102 seats at stake on Friday and the NDA 41. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.

The general elections to elect 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases, from 19 April to 1 June. The results will be announced on 4 June.