Lok Sabha elections: First phase of polling begins for 102 constituencies

The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election began on Friday, with 102 parliamentary constituencies across 17 states and four Union Territories going to polls. Voting is also underway for the 92 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

The states that will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Elections will also be held in the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

By 5 pm, West Bengal had recorded a voter turnout of 77.57% while the turnout in Uttar Pradesh was 57.54%. Maharashtra had registered a 54.85% voter turnout by 5 pm, while the figure in Bihar was the lowest at 46.32%, according to the Election Commission.

Mizoram had registered a 52.91% voter turnout and Lakshadweep had recorded 59.02% voting by 5 pm.

Voting began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm in most seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to exercise their franchise in record numbers and particularly called upon young and first-time voters to cast their ballot in large numbers.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urged people to carefully cast their votes and said that a...

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