NEW DELHI: Election 2019 kicked off to a troubled start on Thursday with two people being killed in clashes in Andhra Pradesh, an IED blast in Maharashtra, reports of EVM glitches and multiple complaints from voters about their names not being on the electoral list.
As round one of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election began in 91 constituencies across the length and breadth of India, from the hills of Kashmir to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar, reports of unrest and irregularities cast shadows over the world’s biggest poll process.
There were reports of violence from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh while the chiefs of several parties, including TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, came forward to complain about administrative and other lapses.
In Andhra Pradesh, where elections are being held for 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats, one worker from the ruling Telugu Desam Party and one from the main opposition YSR Congress were killed in a clash in a village in Tadipatri Assembly constituency in Anantapuramu district.
In Maharashtra, Naxals triggered an IED blast near a polling booth in Waghezari area of Gadchiroli district while voting was underway, police said.
There were no casualties. In the Naxal stronghold of Chhattigarh, four guerrillas were arrested and firearms seized from them in Bijapur district while the poll process was underway.
In the early hours of the morning, Naxals detonated an IED in Narayanpur in Bastar region. No casualties were reported here too.
If the sporadic incidents of violence was one worry, the other was the reports of EVM glitches and voters not being allowed to exercise their franchise.
“No developed country is using EVMs as they are prone to manipulation. We have hence been demanding that we revert to the ballot paper system,” Naidu said after casting his vote in Undavalli village in Amravati amid numerous reports of EVMs not functioning properly.
Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal took to Twitter and tagged people who claimed their names or the names of their relatives have been deleted from voter lists.
“What is happening EC? Are these elections fair?” Kejriwal asked. “Anti-BJP votes deleted all across India. Reports coming from all across India that votes have been deleted on unprecedented scale. Why are all faulty EVM machines seen to be voting always for BJP?” he said in a tweet.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference and the PDP alleged that uniformed personnel coerced people to vote for the BJP and EVMs malfunctioned in some places with the Congress button not working during polling in Jammu’s Poonch area.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tweeted a video showing voters raising anti-BJP slogans after they were purportedly roughed up by the BSF for not voting for the BJP.
Earlier, the world’s largest democratic exercise began Thursday with crores of Indians coming out to vote to elect 91 parliamentarians in the first phase of over-a-month-long Lok Sabha polls for which the Modi government has made nationalism its core pitch to retain power amid a fragmented challenge from Congress and a number of regional players.
Election officials said voter turnout was high at most places.
The 91 Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase, spread across 18 states and two union territories, have more than 14 crore voters — about one-sixth of nearly 90 crore total electorate in India. Votes for all 543 seats would be counted on May 23 after end of the seven-phase polling on May 19. (PTI)
Interesting facts:
* Constituencies: 91 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states and two Union territories.
* Total number of polling stations: 1,70,664
* In Mizoram, 15 special polling booths have been set up in Kanhmun at Mizoram-Tripura border for Bru (Reang) refugees who are living in camps in Tripura.
* Mizoram also holds the unique distinction among the parliamentary constituencies with 100 per cent voters having Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
* 52 per cent voters in Meghalaya are women.
* Over 142,054,000 voters to decide fate of 1,279 candidates in the 91 constituencies.
* 7,764 ‘third gender’ voters eligible to cast ballots
* Voting for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th phase of the elections will take place on April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, respectively.
* The counting of votes to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha will take place on May 23. (Source: Election Commission). (PTI)