MODERATE TURNOUT IN FIRST PHASE

THE first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday — covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories — witnessed a moderate 62% voter turnout. The figure is expected to go up after inputs from all polling stations, the Election Commission of India said.

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Friday’s polling was the biggest of the seven-phase festival of democracy. Voters braved the heat in most parts of the country while at some places, they faced rain.

There were reports of sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal, the strife-torn Manipur, Nag aland and Chhattisgarh.

As many as 56 villages in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh and the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar got to exercise their franchise for the first time.

Elections were held for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, all five seats in Uttarakhand, 12 seats in Rajasthan, five in Maharashtra, and all seats in the Northeast and three Union Territories. Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim were held simultaneously.

Billed as the world’s largest electoral exercise, elections for the 18th Lok Sabha is crucial for the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in office. Riding on populist welfare schemes such as free ration, housing schemes and construction of the Ram temple, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance aims to reach the 400-seat mark in the 543-strong Lok Sabha.