The first of the seven phases of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections commenced on April 19 covering 102 constituencies across 17 States and four Union Territories.

The voting for the first phase began at 7am with an all-India voter turnout of 60 percent till 5pm. Sporadic incidents of violence were recorded in West Bengal as TMC and BJP workers clashed with each other in the Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri constituencies.

In the Naxal-hit Bastar constituency of Chhattisgarh, an assistant commandant of the CRPF was left injured following an IED blast orchestrated by Naxalites. Minor EVM glitches were also reported at some booths in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Among the states and union territories, West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout at 77. 57 percent till 5pm. Whereas, Nagaland witnessed a zero voter turnout in 6 districts as polling officials following a shutdown call given by an organisation to press for its demand for the ‘Frontier Nagaland Territory’ (FNT). In strife-ridden Manipur, 67.46 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 5pm amid incidents of shooting and intimidation, officials said.

A few of the key contenders in the first phase include Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbanada Sonowal, Jitendra Singh and Bhupendra Yadav, besides Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, K Kanimozhi of the DMK and K. Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu BJP chief.

Reporting: Aaratrika Bhaumik
Production: Shikha Kumari A
Video: Sathyamoorthy M and Rahul Karmakar

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