Assembly Elections LIVE: 41% polling in Andhra, 40% in Arunachal till 1pm

Catch LIVE updates on Assembly Elections 2019 for four states - Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim

The Legislative Assembly Elections for four states – Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim – will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections, beginning today, April 11.

Out of these four, Odisha’s 147 constituencies will go to vote in four phases, starting today. The other three phases will be held on 18 April, 23 April and 29 April, respectively.

In Andhra Pradesh, two party workers, including one belonging to the ruling TDP, were killed in a clash today while technical problems in EVMs hampered the poll process in some booths, as 41 per cent polling was recorded till 1 pm for the 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats. Chandrababu Naidu and his family members exercised their franchise at a polling station in Undavalli village in state capital region Amaravati.

His son Nara Lokesh, incidentally, is the TDP candidate from Mangalagiri Assembly segment that covers Undavalli.

Voter turnout in Arunachal Pradesh was 40.34 per cent till 1 pm

The counting of votes for all the four states will be done on May 23. Meanwhile, voting is underway in 91 Lok Sabha seats in 20 states and Union territories.

ALSO READ: Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voters to decide fate of 1,300 candidates

Here are some of the highlights of the first phase:

142 million: Size of electorate, which includes 7,764 third-gender voters

1,279: Number of candidates in the fray

7%: Share of women candidates

170,664 polling booths

4:46 PM

Sikkim records over 23% polling in 4 hours

Over 23 per cent votes were cast in the first four hours of polling in Sikkim on Thursday, in simultaneous elections for a new 32-member state Legislative Assembly and to pick its only Lok Sabha member.

"Around 23.5 per cent polling has been reported overall," sources in the state Chief Electoral Officer's office said. "There are no reports of any disturbance," the sources said.

Voting began at 7 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m. A total of 423,325 voters are exercising their franchise in 567 polling stations. They will choose their representatives from among 150 candidates for the state Assembly and 11 for the lone Lok Sabha seat.

4:45 PM

41% polling till 1pm in Andhra Pradesh

Two party workers, including one belonging to the ruling TDP, were killed in a clash Thursday while technical problems in EVMs hampered the poll process in some booths, as 41 per cent polling was recorded till 1 pm for the 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh.

 

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi said there were some glitches in functioning of 381 Electronic Voting Machines which were rectified subsequently.

 

Police said a Telugu Desam Party worker and another belonging to the main opposition YSR Congress were killed Thursday in a poll-related group clash in Anantapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh.

3:22 PM

Sikkim: 11 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Assembly constituencies and in the Lok Sabha constituencies

An estimated 11 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first three hours of polling in 32 legislative assembly constituencies and the Lok Sabha constituency in Sikkim.

 

Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat and the Sikkim assembly is being held simultaneously here.

 

There has been no report of any untoward incident till 10 am, the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO) in the state said.

10:32 AM

10:23 AM

EVM glitches in many places as voting for Lok Sabha, Assembly polls begins in Andhra

Voters queued up in considerable numbers at polling stations to exercise their franchise as voting to elect 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha members in Andhra Pradesh began at 7 am Thursday.

 

In many places electronic voting machines (EVMs) had glitches resulting in some delay in polling, an official said.

 

State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi cast his vote in Tadepalli and said there were complaints about technical glitches in EVMs in about 50 places.

 

Technical teams were on the job to rectify the defects and enable polling, he said.

10:15 AM

Vote to decide future of India, says Amit Shah

BJP President Amit Shah urged people to vote as the staggered Lok Sabha elections began on Thursday, saying "your one vote will decide the future of this great nation".

 

"I request each and every voter to come out and vote," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said. "The power of democracy lies in your single vote, your one vote will decide the future of this great nation."

 

Shah issued similar appeals, in different languages, to people in various states going to the polls on Thursday in the first of the seven-phased election to pick a new Lok Sabha.

10:04 AM

Hyderabad MP candidate Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote

AIMIM Chief and Hyderabad MP candidate Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote at a polling booth in the city. He is a three time sitting MP from the constituency

9:50 AM

Rahul Gandhi asks people to vote for the 'soul of India'

9:48 AM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his family cast vote